Day 34 Emus and my twisted tongue

The Monday after Scrub Stitching was slow starting.  Sylvia and Archie had decided to leave tomorrow and were trying to find a rental car for the rest of their trip, there seemed to be none available anywhere close to Coonamble!  In the end they decided to take the train into Sydney, pick up the car and spend the night before traveling south on the coast.  That decided, Chooky had an outing for us!  We went to an Emu Farm!

Imagine 1100 Emus in 4 paddocks (pastures in the states)! A big MOB!  Divided into year groups they are harvested at age 4.  Every part of the animal is used:  Meat, feathers, fat for oil  and leg leather.  

Part of the 2023 MOB.

 It seems the female lays a large number of eggs which in the wild the male will collect and hide so she will keep laying until he has a big pile of them (even thought they are laid at different times they will all hatch at about the same time.) The female is done with them once they are laid and goes off (sometimes with another male).  The Male sit on the eggs until they hatch and protects the chicks--from the female!  

  Here at the farm they collect the eggs and put them in a very large incubator!

We were given the chance to feed some.  The owner gave us several branches from a bush-the leaves tasted salty to me-and opened the gate to the 3 year olds.

Full grown these and very strong.  Hold on tight or they will snatch them out of your hand!

Here's Sylvia feeding her lot.

Chooky took a  film of me telling the birds to "Watch the Fingers" and "Hey fingers!"and will never let me live it down!  (I tried to load it but it never finished processing!)

 

Apparently, those of us from the States say the word "Emu" incorrectly.  It's Australia's bird so I tried hard to change my way of saying "Emu" to the proper way.  My tongue twisted over and over!  Such a small word, it took me THREE days of nearly constant effort (some of it in my brain) to say it correctly every time.  That and Coonamble--The first time I saw that word I thought it looked like Coon /amble but then thought -No, this is Australia it can't be that simple!  Turns out it is.

On the way home Chooky took us out to the dam so Sylvia could see the stargazing site, she agreed that it was perfect!

After a wonderful dinner of lamb (I think it might have been the first time I ever ate it!) the three of us set out to the dam for some stargazing.  It's amazing seeing the Milky Way above you.  We didn't bring chairs or jackets so once we were chilly we back to the house.

Sylvia to finish packing.