Birding On My Own - Australia and New Zealand 2002
Emmalee Tarry

Queensland South

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Licula Forest Track

The next morning I made my way to the south end of the Licula Forest Track off the Tully road. This is a dirt track for about 1 km into a parking area. You can park on the road and walk in, but I took a chance and drove.

The track beyond the gate was littered with fresh piles of pooh. I walked quite a distance on this track until I came to stream crossing. I heard many birds and even saw a few like Pale Yellow Robin, Little Shrike-thrush. I saw the Musky Rat Kangaroo again.

At the stream crossing I turned around and started back. Walking toward me on the track was a male Cassowary with one striped chick. I froze in place. He continued ambling toward me. The chick strayed up to 5 feet from his father. Just when I was getting worried, the father took his chick and walked off into the forest.

I walked up to where the bird has disappeared. You can see how he disappeared into this thick vegetation. I could hear him walking away from me.

At this time my camera was back in the car. I was very happy, but now I wanted to get a picture for this book. It was about 9:45 AM.

I spent the rest of the day walking the tracks in the Licula Forest. I even drove back to Lacey Creek and walked that track again. This time it was not raining and I could appreciate the beautiful pool that contained Jungle Perch, and eel.

I went back to the Licula Forest track where I had seen the Cassowary in the morning. Two young men, one in a wheelchair had just seen a Cassowary on the Palm Track.

The Children's Track has concrete cassowary footprints for the children to follow that lead to an artificial nest with wooden eggs. It is quite imaginative, but when people with children walked it they made far too much noise. I don't know why these tracks do not have more signs warning people to be quiet.

The next morning I went back to the Licula Forest off the Tully Road. Along the road I saw my second Cassowary in the wild and this time I got this shot. This male also had a striped chick following him and there is a chance it is the same bird I saw the day before.

This is my only photograph of a wild Cassowary. The other photographs were taken of captive birds at the Billabong Sanctuary south of Townsville.

Queensland South

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