World Bird, Watery Wednesday & Nature Notes ~ Mainly Emus

Like my MY WORLD post, this also is from our trip to the

Flinders Ranges in South Australia. We had a very wet spring,

in consequence we saw many families of Emu, Dromaius

novaehollandiae. Here is one crossing the road directly in

our path. I had no time to think and had to crop out part of the

car. Luckily, as passenger, I always have my camera in my lap

and am ready to shoot. The dirty windscreen from insects and

dusty roads somehow did not enhance the clarity of picture

either. This father was raising 9 chicks which is a very healthy

clutch.

Coming around a bend we met a pair lying comfortably side

by side at this puddle, surveying the little waterscape.

We were so surprised at the sudden sight that I missed that

sweet togetherness shot and only managed to get them as one

was already heading bush and the other rising.

They moved off as if in a dance with their feathers bouncing.

Some people unfortunately take little heed of slithery wildlife

or even deliberately murder them although they are quite safe

in their cars so we came upon this brown snake in an equally

brow puddle. Snakes are part of the general ecological balance

and this sort of needless and mindless killing makes me sad

and angry.

It was quite a large snake for a brown, about 4' long.

All photos enlarge for better viewing.

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