Wild Emus at The Lilly Pilly Tree

[AntiqueB]

I am much at fault here, Antique B. Over years, I have run a number of threads -- but all 'Planet Rothschildi.' And had different user names.

No, I just lost it. I suspect I got a notification that someone posted something here, and I neglected to click on the link, and it erased my preference. At any rate, I'm so happy to hear about the emus again!

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/Gd7WPJ1

 

[briefvisit]

https://imgur.com/9aKdcdk

Perhaps these are the moments that I enjoy the most. Undersized Emu -- who wanders in and out of the carport any old time -- has no idea that this is 'my place.'

Here she is, on a warm afternoon, having a little rest under the plum tree. (Has she still not worked out that plum season is done!?)

SE

 

[Finchbreeder]

Maybe her IQ is also undersized?
Still if she is happy no big deal.
Glad to see the younguns have grown well.

 

[briefvisit]

Undersized Emu's belligerence is just silly; but otherwise, she is perhaps the smartest emu of all. She is the only wild emu in 18 years to just sorta figure out the free food/tameness thing.

Take a step back: of course, we don't say 'bird brain' for nothing. Over the years, though, it's been interesting to see a few birds who can 'work things out' where others cannot.

The carport is a good example. Most of the 'home team' birds take some time to traverse the car port, but U.E. just wanders backwards and forwards without any concern.

SE

 

[briefvisit]

Yesterday at dusk:

a brief observation of a wild Dad with a clutch of five -- though it took us a minute to figure out that it wasn't Limpy Chick and Co.

Undersized Emu was ecstatic because the interlopers were afraid of her, a new experience.

Were the five chicks just a little smaller than Limpy Chick's? I thought maybe (suggesting a normal hatch schedule).

The following was apparent:

at around five months, chicks rage about up to about forty metres from Dad. If they think they're lost, they cheep piteously.

Sometimes Dad and clutch are silent for periods. Often, though, the chicks cheep happily, and Dad 'gurks' regularly. And that's what our momentary observation of the wild Dad and Co. showed us: the group was skirting the house-clearing; Dad gurked at intervals; the chicks cheeped and roamed about, but 'within range.'

SE

 

[AntiqueB]

I had a chicken like UE! Everyone pretty much ignored her. She was thrilled when a younger pullet was introduced because she finally had someone to peck. She went out of her way just to toss a peck and look on gleefully as the younger chicken ran away; she was so proud of herself! Enjoy yourself, UE!

Do the Dads not have their own territory? Like this Dad is infringing on Limpy Chick's space, isn't he?

 

[briefvisit]

'when a younger pullet was introduced because she finally had someone to peck.'

Yes. A female emu who can't peck anyone on the head is at the very bottom of the totem pole!

 

[briefvisit]

'Do the Dads not have their own territory? Like this Dad is infringing on Limpy Chick's space, isn't he?'

This is a fun question to answer!



So, ‘territoriality’ is a range of things. If a breeding-pair, for instance, is getting close to mating, they will defend their territory fiercely against all comers, and we’ve seen a fight like this go on for weeks.



At the other end of the spectrum, imagine a paddock a mile wide. It’s good pasture. Various emus cruise through and graze. They’ll likely stay out of each other’s way if none of their number has decided to ‘command’ this territory.



Note that in both cases above there is a resource: some food. This brings us to All The Other Cases:



So, all emus, regardless of their ‘configuration’ (Dad and chicks, lone emu, breeding-pair) are always on the lookout for resources: flowers, berries, fruit (like the plum tree here), grasses with seeds, etc. If a ‘configuration’ chances upon something yummy, they’ll defend it ‘territorially,’ if they can, while they are exploiting that resource. But 'territorial' has inverted commas because the configuration may be just passing through.



Another way of saying this is that (almost) all emus are at all times drifting about, looking for resources. At any time that two ‘configurations’ bump into each other at some resource, there will immediately be either the withdrawal of one configuration (as Dad and Co. did yesterday) or there’ll be a brief conflict . . . and the withdrawal of one configuration.


PS Yes. Dad and Co. have their own territory -- but not fixed in the sense of the small area that a breeding-pair commands. Somewhere in the archives is a post about 'major and minor pastures,' which explains this.

So, Limpy Chick and Co. pass through the house-clearing usually once a day. How far do they wander between times? Perhaps a couple of miles on some days. Perhaps a half a mile on other days. But 'territory' in this case is a circuit: several pastures, several sources of water. Here at the house-clearing is likely their most-likely-to-be-defended territory. But if they bump into other birds, say, down at the dam, they might just drift away to avoid conflict.

SE

 

[AntiqueB]

I remember you talking about the circuits before!