Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

[briefvisit]

Old-Photo Time

https://imgur.com/ncs5m75

 

[briefvisit]

This is the legendary Eric the Emu with a clutch of nine. Limpy Chick is one of the chicks in the photo. (So is Toosh Toosh, the other male who brings clutches here)

 

[briefvisit]

Meanwhile, we want to see if we can spot U.E.'s consort.

And, we want to spot Bush and Haystack -- is Bush still around.

And the chicks are all here this morning, running around in their feather pyjamas.

 

[Finchbreeder]

Good news that the chicks are there.
Could the other missing boys be sitting?
Do Emu's do a staggered lay throughout the flock like finches and budgies?

 

[briefvisit]

'Do Emu's do a staggered lay throughout the flock like finches and budgies?'

Ooooooh! Nice question! We don't know.

'Could the other missing boys be sitting?'

Those missing boys would be Bush and U.E.'s consort. We won't be certain until we can positively identify Haystack-without-Bush and U.E.-without-consort.

 

[briefvisit]

This should be above (rush to get off to town):

'
There was a lone emu here at dawn. I’ve been practicing identifying Haystack, Bush’s partner.



Well, that lone emu at dawn sure looked like Haystack. Certainly Bush wasn’t here.



We remain uncertain – and it’s freezing here.



So, we got Random Dad. We got Limpy Chick, who has bred close by and returned.



We have Undersized Emu and . . . I think . . . her consort.



Watch this space.'

 

[briefvisit]

Old clip. First day here with his clutch. He's deciding whether he should peck me on the head. (Then: "No wait. This is Wheat Guy. He's okay.")

https://imgur.com/HshOrAc

 

[briefvisit]

Haystack has several times in recent days – wind and cold and rain have severely hampered observations – been here without Bush.



This morning, a female who was surely Haystack was vocalizing energetically near dawn, under a new moon. We decided that Bush was sitting on eggs.



But this afternoon, they are both here. So our score is:



Random Dad – ‘early’ clutch.

Limpy Chick – early clutch.

Undersized Emu and her consort -- ??

Bush and Haystack: still coming for wheat. Will they breed??

 

[briefvisit]

Well, Bush and Haystack were here at dusk and dawn. And the female vocalizing in the quiet of the early hours was surely Haystack.

 

[briefvisit]

And several of the chicks have the tiniest bit of brown coming through their babybaby plumage.

Soon they'll be like this:

https://imgur.com/GjrdLQf

[It seems that we have, for our needs, photos of chicks at all ages]