Cassowary on the beach

I spent two nights in the Daintree Rainforest in Queensland Australia. I had very much wanted to see the elusive forest bird, the southern cassowary. Despite their large size (5-6 feet tall), they are well hidden in the forest. They have a large central claw that has been known to inflict severe damage in an attack and a brightly colored neck. After two days of wandering about, I had seen their popular food sources including the blue quandong berry, their tracks in the mud and even several signs proclaiming their presence, but I had not seen a single cassowary. As evening approached, I went down to the beach at Cape Tribulation. I brought only my point and shoot because I did not want to carry my heavier gear and the lighting was too low for great shots. Wouldn't you know that a cassowary chose that time to come out of the forest and walk on the beach? I raced towards it and photographed it as best I could. The shots are not my best, but they are fine memories of the mysterious cassowary.

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