The bird that can kill you (allegedly)…
Not too long ago, my son and I travelled to Australia for a trip. One of the must see highlights for my son was to see the southern cassowary, little did he know, the cassowary is found in a very small area of Far North Queensland (FNQ) and most often in the Daintree NP, rainforests of the Atherton Tablelands, and a few other areas, including at the beach! After a flight of a few hours from Sydney, a drive of 1 ½ hours and an overnight stay in Port Douglas, we awoke early to drive the 30 minutes or so to the Daintree NP. We arrived even before the staff at the visitors centre! We started our search around the Jindalba Boardwalk area, a well known “hotspot” for the cassowary. After a thorough search, stumbling upon a family of wide pigs, and hearing a few buff-breasted paradise kingfishers, we went a couple of hours without a hint of the cassowary. Onwards and upwards, as they say. We continued our drive North, stopping at each potential hotspot and boardwalk all the way to Cape Tribulation, again without luck. We where now more than four hours in and could not find a 2 meter tall “dinosaur”. A little dejected we decided to drive to the famous ice cream store within the Daintree NP to gather our thoughts and think about our next steps. Setting off from Cape Tribulation we slowly left the village checking both sides of the road, and scanning each creek for potential tell tale signs. Continuing South and after watching a black butcherbird patiently waiting for its next victim, my son screamed, “stop, cassowary, cassowary…”. There, 25 meters to my left, hidden in a small copse, stood the mighty impressive southern cassowary, indeed, 2 metres tall, but also very patiently strolling through the copse. A magnificent sighting and a memory to last for a long time. Being a keen photographer, I have my camera with me when I am not guiding, and the below is the result of patiently waiting for the right moment.
Camera settings: Nikon Z8 - Nikkor 400mm f/4.5 VR S @ 400mm, 1/640s, f/4.5, ISO 1800