The other day, Deena Rounds captured a charming bucolic scene in her neighbor’s pond in Central Oregon. Her neighbor, Kasey Nothiger, had taken in some ducks and they were all out enjoying one of their very first swims. But a closer look revealed that something was a little different about this particular group.
“We noticed a mystery swimmer hanging out with the ducks. Long neck, long back … odd strokes,” Rounds wrote.
Turns out, a few months back, Nothiger had adopted a 2-week-old emu named Daisy to join three other older emus on her farmstead, Firefly Fields Northwest. Because of Daisy’s small stature compared to the others, however, Nothiger thought it best to keep her separated until she grew a little bigger.
For Daisy, meanwhile, loneliness quickly kicked in, and she began to act distressed.
“I had to come up with something quickly,” Nothiger told The Dodo. She realized that Daisy needed friends her own size, so she introduced her to five baby ducks. “She immediately calmed down and they cuddled and slept together,” Nothiger added.
In time, both Daisy and the little ducks began to grow, with Daisy counting herself among their kind.
Daisy, evidently, saw herself as just another duck.
Eventually, Daisy and her adoptive duck siblings were given access to the great outdoors — including the small pond at Firefly Fields Northwest. Naturally, the ducks took to swimming in short order.
“The ducks were in the pond and I heard a load of screaming,” Nothiger said. “Daisy was too scared to go in.”
But after some gentle encouragement, she ultimately decided to take the plunge, too.
“I went to check on her and she was fully in the pond swimming with them, happy as can be,” Nothiger said. “She loved it, and my heart just melted! It was the sweetest thing ever.”
Emus are known to swim on occasion, but among the ducks, Daisy looks right at home.
Firefly Fields Northwest’s other emus may not fully understand Daisy’s duck-like tendencies, but she’s happy to be carving her own course with her unlikely new crew regardless.
“Even the ducks that weren’t raised with her all accepted her as part of the flock,” Nothiger said. “One big happy family!”
