Tooshtoosh and Mrs Tooshtoosh Fight for a Chance to Breed

[briefvisit]

Last Post for A Few Days

Well . . .

Limpychick remains away. So T. and Mrs. T. are not 'fighting for a chance to breed' -- except that Tag-along Emu tries to sneak up on their wheat.

I see that T. and Mrs. T. are not exhibiting that 'smaller and smaller circle of movement' thing that indicates imminent incubation.

But: both Limpychick and Tooshtoosh had their 'life training' cut short by their Dad's death. They are a bit sooky in that they have been based here at the house-clearing longer than any of our emus ever.
So, even if neither of them breed this year, they are still doing o k a y, fumbling about with their basic instincts.

SE

 

[sourland]

Looking forward to the update.

 

[briefvisit]

We're almost a fortnight past 'S.O.B.G.E. Day' -- Sit On Big Green Eggs Day. Tooshtoosh and Mrs. Tooshtoosh are here. And so is Tagalong Emu.

But no signs of mating or nest-making. It is an extraordinarily mild winter. Don't know if that's relevant.

Nice to get closer to Mrs. T. She is getting tamer.

SE

 

[briefvisit]

Final Post

Mr. and Mrs. T. no longer seem to be in breeding-imminet mode. But it doesn't matter: every observation ultimately teaches us something.

How old is Mrs. T.? I wish I knew.
Might a pair start breeding later? Don't know.
Do breeding-pairs stay together more than one season? The literature says, 'No'; but I am fairly sure that Mrs. Eric the Emu once stayed with Eric for more than one season.
Do females vocalise enthusiastically during the night in late winter? perhaps to attract a 'second round' of suitors? Well, I've seen Greedy Emu do it -- and the males turned up at the house-clearing right after dawn!!

So: we observed Greedy and Boy Emu all the way through to hatch. We somewhat observed Felicity and Noddy Big Ears. We are almost certain that one year Eric hatched within a few hundred yards of the house.

And Mr. and Mrs. T.? We observed a classical example of a breeding-pair forming and bonding. We observed them fighting for position here at the clearing. But the breeding didn't happen.

SE

 

[sourland]

Could the breeding still happen or is it too late in the season ?

 

[briefvisit]

'Could the breeding still happen or is it too late in the season ?'

Unsure. Have heard stories of males incubating out of season.

And for a young couple like these? They are fit. Maybe

SE

 

[sourland]

Any signs of incubating ?

 

[briefvisit]

Oh, incubation season is over. What we have now is Tooshtoosh and Mrs. trying to figure out the drama of the tree harvesters.

What I'm watching for is whether the pair remains a pair. Do some emu breeding-pairs last more than one year? I think so.

SE