Dusky Musky mimsey whimsy

Dusky Musky,
gipsy Hypsi,
mimsy whimsy.

Walla Wallaman Falls

Carpet python bit shirty on the road

Wash my face and brush my teeth? What am I, a clean freak? The shiny new skin's starting to come through. And I'll grow all the new teeth I need, thank you  very much. A bit of gunky saliva never hurt anyone. Bugger off and leave me be.

Cassowary sits out conversation

Long chat with small male Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) sitting quietly in the rainforest along the road to Wallaman Falls today.

Any eggs under there? - No reply (but no).
Just tired, are you? -
Seen any hot females lately? -
Lot of rain this week, eh? -
See you later, mate. - Righto Tony (in my dreams!)

Others report another male with two young in the area. 

Casual Cassowary walk on the mild side

Here's my new best birding buddy. We spent 90 minutes close together on the Wallaman Falls road yesterday.

He doesn't say much, so I did most of the talking. Nothing new there.

He did most of the eating, including unknown small fruit mashed by motorists.

He's got a splendid casque for butting through the forest, so he's Casca, 'my' Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius)
Click pix to enlarge  

Cassowary walks circle round me

Spent three hours looking mainly for Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) near Wallaman Falls today and then heard one behind me in the rainforest. 

Wee bit intimidating for a few seconds. Stand tall, stand still, they say. I did, for a few seconds. Then relaxed to enjoy next 15 minutes

About 1.6 metres tall, bird - probably female - stepped to within five metres and in time - and never more than 10 metres away - circled me. Stopped several times to preen. Not sure if soft noise during preening came from bill rasping through coarse plumage, chest wattles slapping together, or gentle vocalising.


Bird then eased off through the understorey of saplings, tripping vines and barbed wait-a-while leaving no great pictures but great memories.
(Click pix to enlarge)

Junior Cassowary steps out with dad

Junior steps out in lock step with big daddy Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius) today near Wallaman Falls, west of Ingham. Males do all the upbringing, usually of three juveniles. More sometimes, by theft of other young. After laying several huge green eggs, the bigger - and bossier - females evidently feel they've done more than enough in the short relationship.

Found the pair of birds at edge of ridge road about 8km before the falls. Missed pictures as I braked car. Both vanished into the thick rainforest, but I found a pile of fresh poo a 'wee' way up the road. Stuck around to do some seed counting (some trees depend on passage through the Cassowary): more than 150 seeds ranging in size between little fingernail and two thumb nails. Reward for effort was reappearance of birds long enough for shaky shots.

And here's a Tony-the-tourist picture of Australia's mightiest one-drop falls, with all-important rainbow colours at base of plunge pool. Picture doesn't show bodies of the many horse flies killed while taking a handful of shots. Also lacks X marks spot for loony BASE jumpers. Somewhere under the rainbow - if they get it wrong. And they have done.