Title: Eye of the Emu Location: Rockhampton Country: Australia Subject notes: Adult emus grow to 6 ft tall and can weigh up to 140 pounds - the second largest flightless bird in the world. During our stay at Aquilla, at the base of the Grampians, we heard a low grunt outside of our window, and went out to find an emu nosing through a small bush looking for its favorite type of berry. Barb, of Aquila, said the bush hadn't been there when she arrived several years prior, but as the emus wander around, they deposit the seeds in the ground through their excrement, planting their favorite food wherever they go. While we were walking along the grounds of the adjacent golf course, where there are so many animals that they have special rules to deal with odd issues such as the theft of balls by magpies and balls stuck in clumps of emu poo, I wondered how much work the grounds crew must have to do to clear the greens not only of said foul substances, but of the resultant seedlings as well! Photography notes: Emu heads are very Camera brand OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO.,LTD Camera model E-10 Exposure time 1/60 sec F-stop 2.4 ISO 80 Metering mode Spot Focal Length 36.0 mm  small in comparison to the rest of their body, and so capturing the character of an emu in a photo is very difficult, as by the time you have the entire bird in frame, it is difficult to see the look in its tiny eye. To avoid this problem, I gave up on photographing the entire bird, and went instead for only the character, leaving the setting to be in the blurred green background. This emu had at first been interested in my camera, but after a few pictures it was bored and started to walk away with the air of a disinterested cat. Humorously, this provided me with the best angle and character for my picture. Trip: Australia

© 2004     Dana & Andy Dopleach    info@bylandwaterandair.com     Site Map