This Photo by Australian Musuem

Emus have been sighted in the Mitta Valley up Callaghan’s creek Road, and on Phillips Condon’s properties on the Mitta North and Bullhead Road.

DESCRIPTION

The Emu is found only in Australia. It lives throughout most of the continent, ranging from coastal regions to high in the Snowy Mountains. Emus were once found in Tasmania, but were exterminated soon after Europeans arrived. Two dwarf species of emus that lived on Kangaroo Island and King Island also became extinct.

The Emu is Australia’s tallest native bird, reaching between 1.6 m and 1.9 m when standing erect, a flightless bird an Emu is one of the world’s largest birds. Adult Emus are covered with shaggy grey-brown feathers except for the neck and head, which are largely naked and bluish-black. The wings are greatly reduced, but the legs are long and powerful. Each foot has three forward-facing toes and no hind toe. Most people see Emus along roadsides, near fences or other barriers, giving the impression of close association. However, Emus are not social, except for young birds, which stay with their father. The Emu (30 – 45 kg) is lighter than its closest living relative, the Southern Cassowary Casuariuscasuarius, but is taller and less heavy set in appearance and much more widely distributed throughout Australia.

This Photo from Bush Heritage

PREFERRED HABITAT

The main habitats of the Emu are tall eucalyptus forests and savanna woodland. These birds are rarely found in rainforest or very arid areas.Emus are often sited in the Mitta Valley as we have this type of environment. They’re often seen grazing inopen paddocks next to woodland in order that they can gather their chicks and escape if necessary, into the surrounding forest.

BEHAVIOUR

Emus are not fussed what they eat. They eat a large variety of foods including fruits, seeds, growing shoots of plants, insects, other small animals, and animal droppings. This makes Emus an important distributor of diverse seeds throughout different areas.

BREEDING

Nesting takes place in winter. The male and female remain together for about five months, which includes courtship, nest building and egg-laying. The nest consists of a platform of grass on the ground, about 10 cm thick and 1 m – 2 m in diameter which the males adds to from time to time. The large eggs (130 mm x 90 mm) are laid at intervals of two to four days. These are dark bluish-green when fresh, becoming lighter with exposure to the sun. One of its unusual traits is its domestic life: after the female emu lays her dozen or so green eggs, she leaves the male to incubate them on his own, and after they have hatched, the striped chicks are also looked after by the male, with no contribution from the female. The female dominates the male during pair formation but once incubation begins, the male becomes aggressive to other Emus, including his mate. The female wanders away and leaves the male to perform all the incubation. Sometimes she will find another mate and breed again. The male incubates the eggs without drinking, feeding, defecating or leaving the nest. During this time, eggs often roll out of the nest and are pulled back in by the male. Newly hatched chicks are cream-coloured with dark brown stripes. They leave the nest when they can feed themselves. Young birds stay close together and remain with the male for four months. They finally leave at about six months. During this period, the stripes fade and the downy plumage is replaced by dull brown feathers. Emus are nearly fully grown at one year and may breed at 20 months.

CONSERVATION STATUS

The Emu is found only in Australia. It lives throughout most of the continent, ranging from coastal regions to high in the Snowy Mountains. Emus were once found in Tasmania but were exterminated soon after Europeans arrived. Two dwarf species of emus that lived on Kangaroo Island and King Island also became extinct. The populations of emu although deemed secure don’t seem to be increasing in number, this is probably due to predation of the chicks by wild dogs and foxes. As there is very little written about the emu the present thought is to use GPS trackers to gain more insight into their numbers.

This Photo by Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

The white-bellied Sea-Eagle has been sited in the Mitta Valley in the Dartmouth Dam area. 

DESCRIPTION

Few Australian birds of prey are as spectacular as the White-bellied Sea-Eagle. Although it is similar in shape to the well-known Wedge-tailed Eagle, and almost as large, the sea-eagle is readily distinguished by its contrasting crisp-white and ashy-grey plumage, which adds to its striking appearance as it soars effortlessly on its up tilted broad wings. The large, hooked bill is grey with a darker tip, and the eye is dark brown. The legs and feet are cream-white, with long black talons (claws). It has a wingspan of about 2 meters. Like many raptors the female is slightly larger than the male. The immature birds have brown plumage which is gradually replaced by white by its fourth year.

This Photo by NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service

PREFERRED HABITAT

Despite its name, the sea-eagle is not confined to coastal areas, and the species is regularly recorded at terrestrial wetlands far from the sea, especially along larger inland rivers and at freshwater swamps and lakes. Hence why they have made their homes at Dartmouth. The white-bellied Sea-eagle are normally seen perched high in a tree or soaring over waterways and adjacent land. Birds form permanent pairs that inhabit territories throughout the year. In addition to Australia, the species is found in New Guinea, Indonesia, China, south-east Asia and India.

BEHAVIOUR

The White-bellied Sea-Eagle feeds mainly off aquatic animals, such as fish, turtles and sea snakes, but it takes birds and mammals as well. It is a skilled hunter and will attack prey up to the size of a young swan. Sea-Eagles also feed on carrion (dead prey) such as sheep and fish along the waterline. They harass smaller birds, forcing them to drop any food that they are carrying. Sea-Eagles feed alone, in pairs or in family groups. While hunting over water on sunny days it often flies directly into the sun seemingly to avoid casting shadows over the water and hence alerting potential prey.

White-bellied Sea-Eagles build a large stick nest with good visibility which is used for many seasons in succession. The nest can be in a tree up to 30m above the ground but may also be placed on the ground or on rocks, where there are no suitable trees. At the start of the breeding season, the nest is lined with fresh green leaves and twigs. The pair will spend three to six weeks building and renovating the nest before laying eggs. The clutch is incubated over six weeks The female carries out most of the incubation of the white eggs, but the male performs this duty from time to time. Initially the male brings the food and the female feeds the chicks but both parents feed the chicks as they grow older. The species breeds from six years of age onwards and are thought to live to be around 30 years old. Nestlings have been recorded fledgling when 70 to 80 days old and remaining around the parents for up to 6 months. 

The birds make a loud goose like honking call. It’s a familiar sound particularly during the breeding season when pairs often honk in unison and often carry on for some time when perched.

Unfortunately, the white bellied sea eagle is vulnerable in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania but secure in WA and QLD. Its vulnerability comes from habitat destruction, nest disturbance and environmental pollution.