Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

[briefvisit]

Yesterday at dusk, we saw a lone emu in the house-clearing. Threw down some wheat. The emu pecked it up. No reason not to think it was Haystack. On her own.

So we were all like, 'Woohoo!'

But both Bush and Haystack were here at dawn this morning.

We watch and wait.

SE

 

[Finchbreeder]

I obviously can't speak for Emu's
But some finches and budgies are less enthusiastic about getting down and dirty early when the weather is cold and wet.
But then get more enthusiastic later in the season, cause there is more food about.
Looking back have you had bigger clutches or more clutches after/during wet winters?

 

[briefvisit]

'But some finches and budgies are less enthusiastic about getting down and dirty early when the weather is cold and wet.'

Great questions. Let's deal patiently with them:

friends have explained to me that budgies and chickens and the like have a very short 'reproduction cycle' in comparison to emus.

Consider the rarer case of Dads that stay with their chicks into a second year, Finchbreeder. 'The cycle' is then from about the beginning of autumn, when the breeding-pair forms, through the laying that winter, and around 80 further weeks of parenting. All up (in this particular case) about two years.

 

[briefvisit]

It seems, then, that reproduction among emus has evolved to conform to a fairly set schedule -- breeding-pair>mating/laying>incubation>parenting.

Hence my joke about 'emu birthday' being the first day of spring: emus hatch on the first day of spring because Dads begin incubating on mid-winter's day.

 

[briefvisit]

'Looking back have you had bigger clutches or more clutches after/during wet winters?'

Oooooh! Another good question!

Readers must tire of me saying, 'We don't know!'

I'm delighted to explain Planet Rothschildi to newcomers:

no one has ever done this!!!!!!!!

The whole thang began haphazardly -- Old Guy (me) watching the emus in the house-clearing of his faraway farmhouse.

And we've attended to our methodology all along because I'm a retired researcher. That perspective came easily to me as we progressed.

But here's the thing, Finchbreeder: we've studied everything! One year, I walked over a thousand miles (across 'The Observation Area') making observations. But it was still only about three years ago that we figured out that chicks stay together after they part from Dad. And it was only this year that we got our first data on a Dad who stayed with his chicks into a second year.

So, we've have world-class data on a range of matters; but we haven't yet got around to cross-referencing the types of winters to the size of clutches.

 

[briefvisit]

Brief:

two tame-wild males have, over 17 years, brought 7 clutches here. We tamed a number of those.

Two tame-wild females have mated here. [ https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/mating-season-in-australia.641934/ ]

At this point -- about 6,400 days into the project -- we have one identifiable male, 'Toosh Toosh.' Our hopes rest with him.

If Felicity is still alive -- we haven't seen her for years -- she's old, but certainly recognisable.

And otherwise, the 'short-termers' like Bush.

 

[briefvisit]

Dusk yesterday: Bush and Haystack

Dawn today: Bush and Haystack

 

[Finchbreeder]

Silly me. I completely forgot that Emus are unique in staying with their chicks for 2yrs.
The unique thing with the guys doing the egg sitting as opposed to sharing the duties was not lost on me - spoilt lady emus.
So Yeah - the cycle would be completely different to the more seasonal nature of finches and budgies and chickens. Though interestingly enough - different types of winters affect the cycle length in finches and budgies.
Now I get why you do this - and you may get why I ask questions.
We are both retired researchers.

 

[briefvisit]

'I completely forgot that Emus are unique in staying with their chicks for 2yrs.'

Not usually. Usually three seasosns. I used that example to make the case. But the principle is the same. Mrs. and Mr. Finch can get from go to whoa in a fraction of the time that Mrs. and Mr. Emu can.

 

[briefvisit]

'spoilt lady emus.'

The following is my pet theory:

find diagrams of ratites vis a vis the size of their eggs. So we have massive biological investment on the part of Mrs. Emu, and the long breeding process we are discussing.

If the female did the parenting, her investment would be: One: laying a half a wheelbarrow of eggs; Two: seven-and-a-half weeks starving in the wind and rain, then: Three: proceed with parenting.

This is an astonishing load for a female to bear.

So we can imagine how evolution might have 'split' the process. The female risks more injury fighting for territory as breeding approaches, then lays.

The baton then passes to the male, who incubates and then parents.