Travelogue: Australia – Tidbinbilla III (Getting Into Trouble)

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“What is that drumming sound?” I asked

“It means they are irritated. It gets faster as they get angry.” My colleague answered.

We had been on our way to the car as we walked down a path and encountered a couple emu on the path. We followed them down the path for a short while, keeping our distance always hearing the constant thumping of their annoyance.

That is until it got a bit faster.

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We stopped in our tracks, listening to the angry drumming of these huge, angry birds! Emu, when they are angry, frightened, or feel trapped, cause a thumping sound to emanate from their chest.

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Inadvertently we had herded them down into a box canyon formed by a pond on one side and a drop-off on the other. There was a construction fence coming up on the right that was making the entrapment obvious even to the huge, dumb, flightless birds.

I could hear movement behind me as my colleagues turned to backtrack the way we had come.

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Not being one to turn my back on an enraged animal, I backed away – facing them down. We backed-up to a break in the foliage and then went to a parallel track through the woods. And made our way around the birds.

They went on their merry way. My colleague claimed it was Emus 1- Pilat 0, but as we escaped that encounter unscathed, I prefer to call it a draw!

Part IV Tomorrow: Getting Home

Wherever you are this morning I hope that you have had a great weekend!

Don Bergquist – 21 March 2012 – Canberra, ACT, Australia