The Cassowaries return

 Remember to click on the image to enlarge

After a lengthy absence it was a surprise to see Mr & Mrs Cassowary in our driveway browsing palm fruits. We had not see either for over a month. The male had not brought off any chicks last year so we are hoping.....

The female is much larger than the male and has a much larger casque. The female is the bird at the top of the photo.

The casque is hollow and becomes chipped with time. The colours are spectacular at this time of year.

And then this fellow has appeared in the past few weeks. He wanders in daily and walks right up to the front door and just stands there until he tires. He\'d be in serious trouble if the adults happened to see him. And we would be in serious trouble if they were to trap him on our porch.

Be very cautious!

Cassowary Update

After a few weeks absence, the male cassowary and his 2 chicks made an appearance.

Mr Cassowary, 40+ yrs old!

 The bubs are doing well. Note the developing wattles and the casque. 

New Cassowaries for 2018

Well it's happened and it seems that this year the Cassowaries have appeared with the young about a month or so earlier than usual. We first saw them around the 25th of Sept. The bubs were so small, smaller than a bantam hen. But 10 days later they are growing and very skittish. They seem especially bewildered when the female is present. Just too much action and confused about the guttural calls from the male. We have not observed the female do anything aggressive towards the chicks but the male gives way when she approaches.

Click on the photos to enlarge

Mr Cass and the 3 bubs 3.x.2018

Look carefully. There are 3 chicks in the photo. They blend in with the undergrowth.

Mr Cassowary and the 3 bubs from above.

The chicks have fresh contrasting colours and patterns.

Bye till next time

They Did It Right On Our Doorstep

This needs little explanation. But this is what we saw first thing this morning.

Now where did he go?

New Kids On The Block

The other day I was sure that we had a new pair of cassowaries on the site. Today it was confirmed.

When we got out of the car, these two greeted us.

It's a small male, probably quite young as indicated by the short wattles and the bub is young too. It's still in the "squeaking" stage and depends on Dad for food. It is much smaller than the three young of the year from the usual pair that occupy this territory. And, by the way, this morning Mom and Dad were doing it right on our front doorstep as you will see in a future blog. (But you never have a camera when you need it.)

This pair were intent on picking up the palm seeds for a couple of species growing on our property. The seeds themselves did not seem to have much flesh on them but the birds ate all they could.

We felt that this male knew our place and perhaps was one of the young birds fathered by our resident male. What will happen when these new birds meet up with the residents can only be imagined. The resident male seems much larger than this one and the bub is completely dependent on him. The residents will attempt to drive this young male from the territory.

Recent logging on Black Mtn Road may have driven these birds from their regular haunts and they have ended up within the territory of the resident male and female.

Good luck little guy. And you will have to have eyes on the back of your head to survive in this world.

Cassowary Update

The three youngsters are still growing and they still continue their characteristic peeping. This becomes more enthusiastic when the food source is is to their liking.

But the end is neigh. The chicks are just about the right size for their lives to make the next change. That occurs when Pops decides enough is enough and he drives them away. This seems sad because the chicks do not seem to understand what is going on with their father. He was protective and attendant yesterday but today he is antagonistic. Actually this behaviour may be initiated by the female when she comes into season.

 Nice garden bird, eh?

Some colours beginning to appear and the wattles are developing

Cassowary Update

The three chicks are developing nicely but oddly two of them seem to be continually fighting with one another. This started some weeks ago and continues to this day.

Both male and female cassowaries visit together and the chicks interact with both parents but the male gives way and is extremely cautious around the female.

The Locals: It's Spring

Our Cassowaries are healthy!

 "Socks", the local resident female seems to know her way around

 Kaa, the resident python, was looking for the odd rat the other morning

The end of the tail of the python

 Everyone gets into the act

 Goannas are active now that the warm weather has arrived

 A fulgoroid tree hopper, Achilidae, Aneipo ?diana.

 Another fulgoroid tree hopper, Achilidae, Aneipo?diva.

 Another fulgoroid tree hopper, this one possibly a flatid, genus Massila

A katydid, Disastella kuranda, a species with a broader distribution than its name suggests.

Thanks to Melinda Moir for help with the achilid identifications.

They're Back

This seems to be a Cassowary Day.
We had a visit from Junior Cassowary and then after several months' absence, we had Mr Cassowary and his chick of the year showed up only briefly.

I only had the chance to take a photo with my phone and then they vapourised just as quickly as they appeared.

Cassowary Update

It's been a long time between drinks! This blog has been inactive due to trips to the tip of the Cape York Peninsula, 3 weeks in China and trips to Canberra. But we are back to "normal" if that is the word.

Mr Cassowary passed by a couple of weeks ago and left this calling card in the driveway. What's neat about this one is that it looks pretty much the same now as when he dropped it. Usually the turkeys go through the seeds during the day and the nocturnal mammals do it over after dark. But nothing has gone near it even though there is precious little on the ground and the turkeys are very hungry. Perhaps, the cassowaries have been feeding on some toxic fruits that the other animals avoid. Who knows.

Subsequently we heard that his clutch of eggs had been destroyed, probably by pigs. Then recently we heard that a tremendous fight had broken out between Mrs Cassowary and a rival, named Harriet, and Harriet had won. Mr Cassowary has been observed mating with the new lady. If this leads to another nest, it will mean that he will be brining out the chicks much later than normal. We will keep you posted.