A couple of fluffy, friendly, flightless birds on South Whidbey escaped their enclosure and tripped through the woods to visit a neighbor Thursday morning.

First thing in the morning, Tori and Rich Hagberg received a text from a neighbor alerting them to two unusual visitors in their garden. They went outside their rural Langley home and were surprised to find two young emus eating clover in the garden.

Tori explained that a friend opened the garden gate and the emus followed him inside, where they were temporarily corralled. She said the birds apparently like to follow people and later waited patiently at the gate for them. The sprinklers came on but they just stayed put, letting their fuzzy feathers get drenched.

Tori said she and her husband called to neighbors, asking if anyone lost a couple of emus. When that didn’t work, Rich took a photo of the birds and posted it on social media, asking if anyone knew where they came from.

The Hagbergs also called Island County animal control about the emus. The flightless birds are native to Australia and can grow to up to six feet tall or more, can weigh as much as 150 pounds and run 30 miles per hour. They have curious personalities and make good pets, though they require quite a bit of space, according to Backyard Poultry.

The emus in the Hagbergs’ yard were just youngsters, perhaps four or five months old.

“They are very cute but they are going to get bigger,” Tori said.

Before the animal control officer arrived, Tori got a call about the birds. A woman had been taking care of a neighbor’s hobby farm while he was away on vacation, and the emus had somehow wandered off. She saw the post on social media and contacted the Hagbergs, overjoyed that the birds had been located.

Tori said she was aware that the new neighbor had chickens and ducks, but she didn’t know about the big birds until they showed up in her yard.

Island County Animal Control Officer Esparza and a deputy arrived while they waited for the woman. Tori said the officers were obviously charmed by the exotic birds and sat down in the grass with them. They petted the emus and let the birds peck at them. Tori said she was surprised at how “soft and gentle” the playful birds were.

The woman walked through the woods to get to the Hagberg home. Tori explained that the emus simply followed her back to their home.

All and all, Tori said, the pair of emus made an interesting start to the day.

South Whidbey resident Tori Hagberg received some friendly visitors this week. (Photo provided)