Mission Beach Cassowaries
  • ABOUT CASSOWARIES
    • Cassowary ID and tracking >
      • Sightings maps
    • World Cassowary Day 2015
  • NEWS
  • Information
    • Developments
    • Thorsborne Trail NOT FOR SALE >
      • MARGARET 'T' AO 1927-2018
    • Walking tracks
    • Birding
    • Lot 66/Garrett Corridor
    • Publications
    • Mission Beach Naturally >
      • Community Identity
    • Heritage
  • Photo Gallery
    • Fauna >
      • Cassowary
      • Birds
      • Mammals
      • Reptiles
    • Flora >
      • Flowers
      • Plants and trees
      • Fungi
    • Scenic
  • Contact
    • Privacy policy

News from Coquette Point

11/5/2011

 
It is woolly sock time already. A winter chill is in the air and the land breeze that comes down the Johnstone River from the Atherton Tablelands, early in the morning, is already icy.  The need to top up the cassowary food stations at daylight resultantly gets me out of a warm bed.
Picture
Dad with one chick
Coming home from town after sunset Friday I saw cassowary ‘Little Dad’( D2) with his chick. Most unusual to see them looking for food on nightfall.  Although this chick is older than the other chicks born this year at Coquette Point he is not growing as quickly.  Whereas Dad 4’s chicks who are coming for a supplementary feed every day have strong thick legs and shiny feathers.  I have heard anecdotally that the Cassowaries are being fed with left over bread and dog biscuits by some of the residents at Coquette Point. Misguided people think they are helping the cassowaries.

Lately the sub-adults ‘Big Sis’ and ‘Little Runt’ have been seen foraging from Ninds Creek Bridge to all the way back here at the end of the road.  For a month after the cyclone I saw them several times a day around the mangroves forest  at the mouth of the river.  Perhaps they have had enough of being chased  by Dad 4  and are naturally extending their range and discovering their own territory.

Paul the newspaper man regularly reports sightings of Cassowary and wildlife movements.  This week he was driving out of Maynard Road when a sow and seven tiny piglets appeared in front of his little car.  Then a huge boar came out of the Moresby Range National Park and ran down the middle of the road, for the length of the road,  in front of his car. He was surrounded by pigs he said.  He told me he regularly sees pigs beside the road on his early morning deliveries to Coquette Point.
Picture
Sunset over the Johnstone River
The Queensland Coastal Plan has been released by the State Government and there are only two Marine Development Areas, (MDA) allocated within the Johnstone River.  The slipway at the Coconuts and an area from the Town Warf taking in Subloo’s marina. The Metricon ‘Sea Haven’ development, which has been approved by Council is not an MDA!!

The Annual land valuation notice arrived in the post today and the valuations at Coquette Point have decreased by around 5%. At least mine has. Town valuations are up but other rural areas around the Cassowary Coast are down in value.  The Cassowary Coast is one of the highest rated areas in Australia, if not the highest.

Picture
Insects are very active at the moment and the Drongos hunt in packs to catch the twilight flyers. The drongos remind me of packs of sharks hunting a bait boil. The bright colours of some insects do not help them avoid predators. A beautiful green fly caught my eye this afternoon, I was lucky to get a photo when it came to rest on a hose.  Nature is exuberant with colour.

Cheers for now,
Yvonne C.




Russell Constable link
11/5/2011 03:45:13 pm

Hi Yvonne
That beautiful green fly you photographed is a cuckoo wasp. They are a nectar eater and lay their eggs inside the egg chambers of other wasps like the mud dauber wasp!
you can see a photo ID of one at http://australianmuseum.net.au/image/Cuckoo-wasp
cheers Russ


Comments are closed.
    Mission Beach Cassowaries facebook page
    Follow the lives of individual cassowaries on facebook

    Picture
    Friends of Ninney Rise
    Ninney Rise
    - the inspiring
     conservation history of Mission Beach

    Lot 66
    a Mission Beach buyback success story
     


    Picture
    Russell Constable's blog is packed full of information about Ella Bay and region

    Archives

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    January 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    May 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011

    Categories

    All
    Ash
    Birds
    Boat Bay
    Bush Tucker
    Butterflies
    Cassowaries
    Cassowary Coast
    Cca
    Coquette Point
    Cowley Beach
    Crocodiles
    Cyclones
    Cyclone Yasi
    Development
    Flowers
    Flying Foxes
    Frogs
    Fungi
    Insects
    Johnstone River
    Little Terns Nesting
    Mahogany Glider
    Mangrove Dieback
    Marine
    Mission Beach
    Port Hinchinbrook
    Rainforest Fruit
    Sediment Runnoff
    Snakes
    Spiders
    Threats
    Tourism
    Tully Heads
    Turtles
    Wildwatch
    W P S Q Tully Branch


© All content on this website (except where otherwise stated) is copyright Mission Beach Cassowaries All Rights Reserved If copying or publishing  content or information from this site please credit and link to Mission Beach Cassowaries Inc. website Except where otherwise credited, all photos on this website are copyright and must have permission to reproduce