I seem to remember that emus used to be very common in the wild here in Victoria. I would see them in all sorts of areas including pine forests in the South and open plains up North.
I haven't seem one now for many years. Do others have the same impression? What about in other states?
Where are they all?
- soakes
None around where I live on the s.e. slopes of the Mt Lofty Ranges. Generally, I think they're regarded as pest animals in farming areas. I recall that many years ago my cousin had a few on his wheat & sheep farm west of Burra during a drought. They would almost certainly have travelled from the mallee country east of Burra & probably returned there after the drought (assuming they survived).
Hi,I live in Stawell and we have HEAPS of Emus mobs of upto 20 or more are not uncommon and in Halls Gap just up the road they are becomming a nusance, people ask the locals all the time what to feed them,I heard one say don't feed them anything they can find there own " thats why there here"!
That might be the reason there missing from other areas its wet here for the first time in 20years and food is plentifull so they have moved in to make the most of it.
Last weekend we went out for a drive to the gemfields. While we were having out lunch this male and his chicks did a walk past the car, on the other side of a barbed wire fence that is. We sat very still and managed some great shots. The line across the pic is the barbed wire, but i am very pleased with these shots.
¥Robyn
some fathers are very good parents
Peter
Ah, it's good to see those little stripey babies running around!
How do you tell a male from a female emu?
- soakes
soakes
Olinda, Victoria, Australia
extract from Wikipedia (I wanted to check befor eI made a house-husband comment)
Males and females are hard to distinguish visually, but can be differentiated by the types of loud sounds they emit by manipulating an inflatable neck sac. Emus breed in May and June and are not monogamous; fighting among females for a mate is common. Females can mate several times and lay several batches of eggs in one season. The animals put on weight before the breeding season, and the male does most of the incubation, losing significant weight during this time as he does not eat. The eggs hatch after around eight weeks, and the young are nurtured by their fathers. They reach full size after around six months, but can remain with their family until the next breeding season half a year later.
Peter
Thanks Peter for that information. Love your photos Robin. I have seen some around the Cardinia Reservoir (Vic east of Melbourne), I guess they are the lucky ones, because there are fences around reservoirs. I also saw some on farmland bordering the Bunyip State Park, but that was a few years ago.
M-L