High Cascade Emu Ranch

Take one good look at this amazing bird's face and you'll agree: it looks undeniably like its ancestors, the dinosaurs! It's even got a serrated beak! In fact, Emus and other ratites species like Ostriches are responsible for helping scientists understand how dinosaurs move upright, and are also used as the models for cgi dinosaurs in movies and documentaries. Steve and I got to go to an Emu farm here in southern Oregon with our photography group and were given a tour of the facilities. I took lots and lots of pictures including eggs, chicks, juveniles, detail shots, and other things like emu egg artwork, emu oil products, and many other really neat pictures. I'll be showing them in the next few weeks and filling you in on more details about these super cool birds! A big thank you to Kay at the High Cascade Emu Ranch for allowing all of us to spend the day taking pictures of their wonderful birds and facilities! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) Explored on June 9, 2012, placement at #204

*** First Place Winner at the Jackson County Fair! *** Emus are remarkable creatures. They look like dinosaurs and they cannot fly. Although they have feathers like a bird, their bones are not hollow. They don't have a normal bird's breastbone but instead have a plate similar to a turtle's shell. This plate looks like a raft, which is where their group's name, "Ratitae" comes from--Ratis means "raft" in Latin. Back in May, my husband and I got to visit a local Emu ranch with our photography group and I took many pictures. As I post my best over the coming weeks, I'll be adding more information about this amazing bird with each picture. However, if you would like to know more information, Wiki has a great page here: Wiki: Emu I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) Explored on June 15, 2012, placement at #220

This darling Emu chick is mesmerized by a metal ring at the side of the chick brooder it's in with its many clutch-mates. A chick brooder is a specially designed, enclosed area that can be kept at a precise temperature to make sure the babies are warm and comfortable. Everything at the High Cascade Emu Ranch was perfect in every way for every bird and at every stage of their lives. I am extrememly critical about animal welfare and I was very impressed by every single detail. From chicks to juveniles to adults, their facilities were spacious, safe, clean, and comfortable. (This picture is part of a series of shots taken at the High Cascade Emu Ranch , where I went with my husband on a photo club outing. I'll be showing many pictures of my visit in the coming weeks!) I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :) Explored on June 17, 2012, placement #159

Steve and I got the opportunity to go on a private tour of the High Cascade Emu Ranch back in May, and we even got to visit the nursery! In fact, everyone who wanted to hold a baby Emu was given the opportunity, and we were allowed to hold our chick for as long as we wanted! Kay, who is one of the owners of High Cascade Emu Ranch , gently picked up one baby after another out of the brooder and nestled each into our protective hands. Then the room was full of cooing and sounds of pure bliss and peeping babies. Here is a picture of Steve cradling his baby, lost in love. Below you will see a picture of one of the photographers, Amanda Richter , and a picture taken by my friend Nancy Magruder , of me, showing us in pure bliss with our little babies!

Standing as tall as 6.6 feet in height and weighing up to 120 pounds, adult Emus are a very impressive sight, and are the largest bird in Australia, though not the largest bird in the world. They are part of the most ancient group of birds, called "ratites" which are all flightless and found on three different continents. The African Ostrich claims the title for world's largest bird, up to 9.2 feet and 340 pounds. The very dangerous Cassowary of Australia measure up to 5.6 feet and weighs up to 130 pounds. In South America the Rhea is up to 4.6 feet tall and weighs up to 88 pounds. Finally, the adorable, odd-looking Kiwi from New Zealand is only as tall as 18" and weighs up to 7.3 pounds. Now, if you think Emus and Ostriches are enormous, there are two extinct ratites which were even bigger! The Elephant Bird grew up to 9.8 feet tall and weighed as much as 880 pounds, the heaviest bird that ever existed!! The Moa is the largest bird that ever lived on earth, up to 12 feet tall and 510 pounds! WOW, that's amazing!! :D I've uploaded two other pictures today and I hope you'll visit them too! Thanks to all of you who have visited and have left comments and favorites! I try to go to all of your pages within a day or two and is a highlight for me to see your beautiful photography! :)

This Emu egg and the eggs in the basket below, are all naturally colored! I was fascinated to discover that the color of an Emu's eggs is normally a deep speckled green, but can be many different shades depending on a bird's diet, as can be seen below. This top egg is unusual because of the markings, as they are usually a solid color with speckles. Emu eggs are usually drilled with a Dremel tool so that the beautiful egg can be saved and displayed or used for art projects! (pictures coming!) Emu eggs are HUGE ! They measure about 5.3" × 3.5" and weigh between 1.5 and 2 POUNDS!!! You will be surprised to find out that they taste identical to chicken eggs, but they are healthier, containing less saturated fat and more unsaturated fat. Chicken eggs are 65% white and 35% yolk, while Emu eggs are 55% white and 45% yolk. As for the amount, chicken eggs yield about 1/4 cup, while Emu eggs contain about two cups , WOW!! Domesticated Emu hens lay on average, one egg every three days during the laying season (several months). In the wild, Emu hens lay one egg every two or three days and the average number in the nest is 11, though counts have been seen as high as 20! For more information about Emus, Wiki has a wonderful source here: Wiki:Emu