Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

[briefvisit]

Today’s post is brought to you courtesy of The Old Guy Who Takes Us to Town, where we buy boxes and boxes of tinned salmon and rice and olives and suchlike. Sometimes, the emus are only disturbed by a vehicle twice a month.



The Cheeky Chicks were here! But only three: one has apparently ‘gone independent.’ They really are scrawny. Undersized Emu is short, but quite stocky. The Chicks are just flat-out scrawny.

https://imgur.com/tfeSl5T

We'll have to sort out who is who in the photo, but it's Limpy Chick and Offsider, and Undersized Emu, and The Chicks

 

[briefvisit]

Lots of action in recent days – it’s always like this when the Lilly Pillies are on. We’ve had the pair that marched in and set up shop, but they’ve moved on. And Limpy Chick and Undersized Emu. And The Chicks. And a number of birds skirting the house-clearing either while visible or while vocalizing from just off stage. Here is an interloper being shadowed by Offsider:

https://imgur.com/1dDx0Wd

 

[briefvisit]

Lots to report. Yesterday afternoon, a Dad with four lovely first-year chicks was grazing on the edge of the house-clearing. They bolted when they saw me.



This morning, Limpy Chick and Offsider continued the ‘ritual’ stuff that we just don’t understand: standing about, talking to each other, wandering into the bush and back again. Is it a mating thing??



Then The Cheeky Chicks turned up – all four of them. So, can there be some ‘elasticity’ in the membership of the clutch? May one wander off for a couple of days, then return? And how do you find the clutch? Do they call to each other? Does the independent one not get too far from the rest?



And finally, an interloper got bailed up by The Cheeky Chicks and Undersized Emu just before I came in for breakfast. Let's see if this bird turns up later.