Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/KSbprme

Here's a photo of Dad and the Cheekies in nice afternoon light.

 

[briefvisit]

Eric left in the morning with nine black-head chicks. This was about eight years ago. We guess that the group was hit by a car, but half the group was killed or injured.



The two injured chicks were Limpy Chick and Toosh Toosh. The only ‘treatment’ that we can provide is plentiful food and water. Both chicks healed – although Limpy Chick had a noticeable swelling of one of his/her middle talons for several years.



The other – uninjured – chicks who survived went bush at about the normal age: late summer.



Toosh Toosh and Limpy Chick stayed longer. So, we’re looking at a situation of sort of ‘rescue emus,’ who were . . . sooky. That is, staying longer than might have been the case.



Now we fast forward two years, to when Toosh Toosh turned up here with a clutch of five chicks. Toosh Toosh and his clutch also stayed longer/more often around the house-clearing than might have been normal. Four of the chicks survived. (That was the sixth clutch observed over the years. Five of Eric’s – the last of which included L.C. and T.T.)

 

[briefvisit]

A female vocalized in the early hours. ‘Jumbled’ and quiet. It is surely Offsider -- ??



One of the chicks is still cheeping! So, at this point, we must re-jigger all we know about how emu chicks behave as they come into adulthood. Until now, our main datum has been the (excellent) observations we made of Toosh Toosh’s first clutch, which were a little sooky (do ask), and stayed later than they might have.



But a chick cheeping at age spring/summer/autumn/winter/spring/summer – and three weeks into autumn? Ok!

 

[AntiqueB]

I'm surprised that you don't have a clutch hanging around every year. You provide food and water, which makes your house clearing a great location.

It's like my 2 birdhouses that are never empty; I have birdseed and a pond. That makes them prime locations to raise young.

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/Mcf1YcC

Here are Muir's Corellas hammering across the house-clearing in the late afternoon sun. I must work on getting better clips. In the morning, the sun flashes on the undersides of their wings as they hammer over.

[And this species is a part of The Bush Communication Network, to which all emus belong.]

 

[Yardmom]

Do you think the Dad of the current chicks is another of Eric's offspring?

 

[briefvisit]

Fair thought, Antique; and primatologists discuss this issue of ‘provisioning.’

The Planet Rothschildi birds are tame because they come here as chicks with their Dads. The house-clearing is a truly rich source of food – which is exactly why a super emu like Eric had already seized control of it before I arrived in 2008.



The emus – whether one or ten – get a double-handful of wheat dawn and dusk. It’s not enough to make them dependent. (If visitors or photo-ops, they get extra rations, and occasionally treats.)

 

[briefvisit]

'Do you think the Dad of the current chicks is another of Eric's offspring?'

Of Dad and The Cheeky Chicks? Gee, the answer -- which Antique had already heard -- concerns the nature of the Planet Rothschildi project:

of the hundreds of emus observed, to one degree or another, over the almost-18 years, only two could certainly be identified.

While they are here, we can tell them apart. But if they've been away for six months or for years, all we have to identify them are A: distinguishing physical features, and B: some hints from their tameness/personality.

So is the Dad of Dad and The Cheeky Chicks one of Eric's family? gone bush years ago? My guess would be no because he doesn't display any tameness.

SE

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/mc9mGNP

 

[briefvisit]

What happened here? Well, someone got a licking.

We'd guess that Offsider was involved. But who else? Did some foreign emu walk into the house-clearing, and get flogged by Offsider?

Did Offsider get flogged?

It's not a 'tail swipe,' readers. Those are chest feathers; and from the amount, the losing emu took one serious walloping -- just one strike. It's always just one lightning-fast strike.