Emus

[canetoad]

Did a bush walk instead of the beach this morning. There are at least one pair of emus who live on the outskirts of town, maybe more; chicks have been spotted in the past.

Anyhow, two ageing poodles and my Jack Russell had a chase but quickly came back when the emus drew 2 kms ahead!

[SheltieLover]

1. Puppers are brave!

Those look like huge birds!

[ShazzieB]

4. Emus ARE huge!

Their average height is 5.7 feet. They are the world's second largest (non-extinct) birds. (Largest is the ostrich.)

I've never been to Australia and have only seen them in zoos, but I can attest to their impressive size.

[SheltieLover]

5. Good grief!

Is that shoulder height?

I don't think I've ever seem one in a zoo, but did a drive-through safari in FL once, & the enormous ostriches "inspected" my car while we sat in awe of their size & magnificence.

Pups are lucky emu didn't turn on them.

[canetoad]

9. Shazzie is correct

I've stood face to face and they are around my height or bigger - I'm 5'5 1/2".

The chase wasn't planned - I'd hoped the pups wouldn't see them, but they were only 50m away. I think roos are more dangerous - they have four limbs to deal with dogs.

[SheltieLover]

14. Do you run across roos in the wild?

[canetoad]

16. OMG Sheltie

I run across roos down the street! This morning, on the track to the windfarm (& emus) Gibby went looking for them, on a hill where they usually sun themselves. Young males and females with a joey or two are never a problem. Then there are the Big Kevs of the world.

Roos tend to live in extended family groups, or 'mobs'. In the big groups there is always a boss. He will be up to about 7ft tall. Broad, muscly chest and attitude.

You can calmly walk past them and they just stare at you whereas smaller roos will take off. Roos are well known for their swimming skills. To entrap chasing dog, they lure them into a damn, wrestle them underwater and hold them with their rear feet till they drown.

At the end of my street is a mob I call the Cemetery Roos. Their chief roo will often stand in the middle of the road in the dawn light, like a crossing supervisor as the others head to the paddocks.

[SheltieLover]

17. Holy hell!

Native Chicagoan here...

I won't even walk in my yard here without knee-high winter boots on because, well... lizzards. Little ones but eeeeeeewwwww.

[canetoad]

18. Awwww....

And I was going to invite you to visit. (any time buddy!

I love the wild critters THAT much that I built a Lizard Garden. Rocks, succulents, grasses, a water bowl.... They love it and sometimes come inside to thank me personally.

[SheltieLover]

19. I love the wild critters, too, but I just don't want the lizzards

Running across my shoes. Lol

That's nice of you to have made them a rock garden & let them inside.

I'd love to visit, but pix will.have to do for now.

[StarryNite]

2. It's cute!

[Walleye]

3. I was almost killed by an emu once. Sounds like a WC Fields line

But true. I was photographing at a farm for emus and I was inside the fence, I looked up just in time to see the damn thing coming at me with his feet lunging about 4 feet off the ground. I threw myself backwards and fell flat. The bird hit the fence up behind me so hard it broke. That was a close call

[SheltieLover]

6. Yikes!

Glad you are ok! Was it an attack emu or something? (No knowledge of them.)

[Walleye]

7. No it was on a farm. I was photographing the bird and another one got aggressive

I used to be scared of geese when I was a little girl

[SheltieLover]

8. Geese are not a species to take lightly!

Not sure if still the casd, but at one time, Jack Daniels Distillery was guarded by geese.

[canetoad]

10. Back in the 80s

I worked for a while in Carnarvon Gorge, Queensland. Driving out one day I decided to stop and look at am American WW2 plane wreck that was not far off the main track. https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/c-47/42-23589.html

Back at the car, I noticed a long line of emus around 100 metres away, had noticed me. Camera was at hand, so I started photgraphing them; they looked like a long line of old-fashioned chorus girls!

Apparently they are attracted to shiny things, and they took a liking to the glint from my camera lense. The chorus line started moving towards me - then faster, then even faster still until they were running, heads bobbing. At this point I forgot the photos and jumped into the car.

[Walleye]

11. That was wise and the better part of valor

[canetoad]

12. It makes me wonder, Walleye

If the common denominator is the camera lenses. The line that ran at me appeared hyponotised. Maybe it wasn't really trying to murder you.

[Walleye]

13. You know, I never thought of that but thinking back you may be right

We get so into photographing wild animals we forget that they are wild

[SheltieLover]

15. That had to be terrifying!

[canetoad]

20. Can't remember being terrified

Interested, curious, trying for a photo.... I knew the car was within reach, so no real problems.

[SheltieLover]

21. Glad you escaped

Do the dogs avoid them?

Spent some time reading about roos. Fascinating creatures!

Still cannot wrap my head around running into such a huge wild animal who bounces, boxes, & could take offense at my presence.