The precarious situation of the cassowary populations in the Wet Tropics was made startling real this week. Following the incidence with the pig-hunters and their dogs last week the cassowaries did not show up for two days. On Monday morning the sub adults ‘Don’ & ‘Q’ were at the Western feed station at 6am. ‘Jessie’ arrived at the Eastern station about 7am. At 7.30am I was photographing a pair of Nutmeg pigeons in the big fig tree on the front lawn. The male was stroking the neck of the female with his beak, she however was not interested. (Male is on the left).
Hi all,
The precarious situation of the cassowary populations in the Wet Tropics was made startling real this week. Following the incidence with the pig-hunters and their dogs last week the cassowaries did not show up for two days. On Monday morning the sub adults ‘Don’ & ‘Q’ were at the Western feed station at 6am. ‘Jessie’ arrived at the Eastern station about 7am. At 7.30am I was photographing a pair of Nutmeg pigeons in the big fig tree on the front lawn. The male was stroking the neck of the female with his beak, she however was not interested. (Male is on the left). Hi all, Oh how a beautiful day can suddenly turn sour. Yesterday afternoon I was busy picking papaws when I heard the sound of dogs, baying loudly and running, in the melaleuca and mangrove forest meters away from me. Only moments before cassowary chick ‘Don’ was checking out the pawpaw trees and vegetable garden behind me, I looked for him in a panic but could not see him. Hi All, Last night the heavy dew turned to drizzle and continued all day until a welcome storm with lots of thunder cleared the sticky air this afternoon. The frogs are in their element and every drainpipe and toilet bowl is resounding with a chorus of frog-croaks. This morning all the ponds were covered in white frothy frog eggs. You can feel the pulse of the wet- season starting. I was silly enough to leave a fluorescent light on in the kitchen on Thursday night and had an invasion of insects from the forest. In the morning I swept up two litres of insects. Perhaps that was why the frogs were so happy. Hi all, The rainforest of the Wet Tropics are mysterious and wonderful and full of rare plants. The unusual climbing supplejack forms green towers as it climbs up its host tree in search of the light above the canopy. The flower is fragrant and is followed by grape like bunches of reddish fruit. “ Aboriginal people used the plant to make strong rope for climbing and the stems were woven into fish and eel traps or used to sew together bark canoes”. This information is from John Beasley’s book Plants of Tropical North Queensland If you live near rainforest please look carefully and you may see more of these plants in flower. Hello from the refreshed rainforest of Coquette Point, The Nutmeg Pigeons returned to their nest early this afternoon as the sky darkened and fresh winds blew from storm clouds that cooled the forest. Sheet lightning split the sky and rain fell gently. The rumble of thunder startled the cassowaries and sent the starlings scurrying for shelter in the safety of a macaranga’s broad leaves. The first summer-storm was welcome. Hello from the rainforest of Coquette Point, The rainforest is waiting for rain. The large leaves on the rainforest trees are folded and bent down in a prayer for rain. The summer storms are near and the trees should not need to wait long. This is the longest dry period we have had for five years. The pheasant coucals have left their ground nests and have again taken to the trees. Every evening the birds laboriously climb to the very top of the rainforest to roost. In the early hours of the morning you can hear them call from the tree-tops and the long note ‘ooopp’ wakes the forest sleepers. The Bingil Bay community has been wathcing Bernie's progress since he was struck by a car trying to cross the Bingil Bay Road. QPWS have been overseeing his recovery within his environment and are now weaning him off supplementary food. Today he ventured south east across the gully. It is the second time I have seen him since the accident. He is beginning to get his adult colours. His foot is still swollen but he can walk without a limp now and the three claws he lost are starting to regrow. We are all very happy for Bernie surviving this round. Hello from Coquette Point, The female olive backed sunbirds are busy renovating old nest and building new ones. Meanwhile the male birds are preoccupied with territorial displays. One male bird was upset with the side mirrors of Robert’s truck. He got so upset at the reflection that in the end Robert covered his mirrors with a bag. Hi all, On Tuesday last week two metallic starlings arrived in the nursery. By Thursday there was a flock of a hundred very hungry birds. It’s so good to see them back. As nature arranges, the macaranga are in fruit and the trees vibrate as the birds feed from inside the dense foliage. Saturday the metallic starlings were showing signs of courtship. Male song imitating canaries and budgerigars, or at least that what it sounded like to me. The female with head bent tweeting. Hello from Coquette Point Cassowary Country (3C)! Jessie, the matriarch cassowary returned this week. I photographed her on the 13th of August, as she went off with the male bird. I have now established it was Dad 4. Dad 4 has not been sighted since that time. On her return Jessie looked very thin and I found her at the Eastern feed station Wednesday morning at 6.30am. |
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