Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/Pil4MDB

And here is a very very thirsty baby kangaroo. Its Mum is tame enough to drink. The joey overcame its shyness a few days later.

 

[briefvisit]

Years ago, as part of Project Emoo, I read some primatology material on bonobos and chimpanzees and gorillas. Yesterday, I watched a (random Goodwill) National Geographic documentary on snow leopards. Of course, snow leopards and emus are as different as could be; but the project was just so recognizable:



you go to snow-leopard territory. You let them come to you. You concentrate first on data on territories. You do so by collating both actual sightings and other indicators.



As you data accumulates, you begin identifying individuals, and determining the relations between those.



The result of their (long and very difficult) project wasn’t just great photos and other data, but real insight into territorial behaviours, mating behaviours, and feeding behaviours, and how these constitute a social whole. Very nice!



One thing of note to us is how, as we do, the leopard observers had to use partial data to make guesses about things that they could not gain data on – ooooh! That’s us!

 

[RoyalChick]

https://imgur.com/bAKxTNS

These are second-year chicks. (It's Toosh Toosh's first clutch, but after we lost the fifth chick.)

Watch the one second from the left. It puts its neck in the water, but not its head. And check the floating tails.

[And the preening. Always with the preening!]

What a wonderful video. They seem to be enjoying their bath!

 

[briefvisit]

We missed out on an excellent photo. Long story short: a clutch of fine second-year black heads standing in the open by the fig tree.



So, over five feet tall, but still with full black-head black feathers on neck and head. Didn’t see a Dad. It’s almost certainly the same ones I saw a few days ago.

https://imgur.com/4AoHlmf

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/KSMIJMd

 

[briefvisit]

Technical problem solved. After I got the one photo of the clutch at the fig tree, they drifted away. But if you check the 'aisles' of the gums, you sometimes find them.

You can't see what fine specimens they are, but you can see -- a week into summer -- how the house-clearing is changing.

 

[briefvisit]

Offsider Emu is becoming remarkably tame, and has just figured out drinking from the bird bath. He's been watching Limpy Chick for weeks, but this morning he cracked the code.

SE

 

[briefvisit]

file:///C:/Users/Mark/Desktop/20241217_134812.mp4

Interim Post -- my system is playing up. But you can get the file open.

But my claim seems to be wrong:

So, 'the chicks' turned up again yesterday -- right outside the kitchen window. At that second, I still thought that it was four second-season chicks.

But I was puzzled as to why Limpy Chick and Offsider withdrew after a little grumbling.

So, one of the clips that I can't upload at this second seeeeeems to show a Dad -- that is, not five chicks, but four chicks and Dad. We gotta get this clip uploaded. We gotta get your eyes to determine if you see what I think I see, which is a white collar of feathers around the neck of one of the birds standing in the shade of the fruit tree.

Chicks don't have that. A Dad would have that.

And if that Dad is more powerful than LC and Offsider, that would explain their withdrawal.

SE

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/zhVwIKr

Limpy Chick and Offsider were nudged out yesterday by Dad and his four chicks, but today they are doing okay against another interloper.

 

[briefvisit]

It's not a great plum season -- there certainly won't be any plums left for humans. But LC and Offsider are doing ok: apricots, pears, grapes (still tiny), plums, and figs.