Birding Cairns - My Cassowary House Adventure (2 Viewers)

[John Cantelo]

Thursday 9th December
Cassowary House – Cairns Esplanade – Cairns Cemetery

Rain in the morning dampened my enthusiasm for an early morning perambulation, but once it cleared we were off to Cairns for a spot of shopping. And, oh yes, a look at the famous esplanade! As expected this meant a lot of lifers for relatively little effort (just how I like it) for yours truly. So it’s time for another list – Striated Heron, Eastern Reef Egret, Australian Pelican, Royal Spoonbill, Crested Tern, Eastern Curlew, Grey-tailed Tattler, Great Knot, Red-necked Stint, Lesser Sandplover and Silver Gull. Lifers all and even the non-lifers weren’t to be sneezed at since they included Sharp-tailed and Terek Sandpipers. If you’ve read this far then you can probably guess that the birds that stood out for me were those species that are vagrants in the UK: Lesser and Greater Sandplovers (different bill size was obvious with the races involved here), Grey-tailed Tattler and Great Knot. Of almost equal importance to me was the opportunity to get good views of variegatus Whimbrel largely to confirm that the bird I saw years ago at Reculver was indeed a hudsonius.! Away from the immediate foreshore I also tallied Rainbow Lorikeet, White-breasted Cuckoo-shrike and Brown Honeyeater, but, despite persistent peering into the mangroves, I only heard both Mangrove Robin and Collared Kingfisher.

By now the number of ‘heard only’ species – thanks partly to Phil’s keen ears and encyclopaedic knowledge and partly my own incompetence – was reaching embarrassing levels. In addition to those noted above I’d also only heard; Cicadabird (daily!), Fairy Gerygone, Noisy Pitta, Chowchilla, Varied Honeyeater, Mangrove Robin and Lesser Sooty Owl. Of these only the owl was really forgivable as, Phil told me, they are never seen in daylight and getting one really needed a ‘spot lighting expedition’. The most seriously embarrassing omission, though, was Varied Honeyeater. Phil had heard them calling along the promenade and had directed me towards them. I, toddling off with camera in hand, had seen an unfamiliar honeyeater and taken a few snaps. It was only an hour or more later that I looked at my efforts and the penny dropped – it was a lifer alright, but a Brown Honeyeater not a Varied one. Oops!

In a day of many highlights (and once again of many lifers) one stood out: Bush Stone-curlew. Although I’d seen a couple earlier in the day, it was a meander around the municipal graveyard that gave me real ‘sit-up-and-beg’ views. Used to the elusive and rural nature of ‘our’ Stone-curlew, it was a shock to see these fellows strutting around so confidently in an urban setting. A shock too was their impossibly attenuated bodies with legs up to the elbows – think “stone-curlew, Parisian catwalks and size zero” and you’ll know what they look like! Incidentally, having stood with both profiles neatly aligned for a little while the instant I clicked the shutter the Lesser Sand-plover in the photo turned away from me! Pity as the contrast in the two bills was really obvious - honest!

 

[John Cantelo]

.... and some more photos .... Bush Stone-curlew were super birds - one of the top birds of the trip and seeing a tattler, any tattler, was a dream come true.

.... Thursday was good, but Friday 10th was something special ...... I'll post details when I've sorted out a few more photos!

 

[StuartReeves]

Great stuff John, an excellent reminder of my own visit to that part of the world, including Cassowary House, back in November 2004.

 

[John Cantelo]

Friday 10th December
Cassowary House – Black Mountain Road – Tinaroo Creek Road (Meereba) - Henry Hannam Track – Atherton Tablelands – Bromfield Swamp – “Picnic Crossing”

My early AM walk again produced all the usual birds (as per Tuesday’s afternoon haul) but I was, at last, starting to get some vague idea of what they sounded like. Unfortunately, a lot of these rain forest birds sound vaguely similar! A glimpse of a black-and-white bird along Black Mountain Road had me claiming my first Pied Monarch, but the view was so poor and brief that I later cautiously decided not to list it.

After a couple of relatively quiet days it was time to be somewhat more adventurous so post-breakfast Phil and I set off to do some serious birding inland. My first surprise was just how quickly the habitat changed from thick rainforest to more open eucalypt woodland. Heading off west along the Kennedy Highway towards Meereba we turned off just before that town to explore along the Tinaroo Creek Road. Nankeen Kestrel showed well as we turned off and soon thereafter a flock of Squatter Pigeons, a little unexpected here, presented themselves. A little further on, we pulled over to explore further. We’d left the open woodland behind and were now in an area of open farmland mixed with open park like woodland. Despite the clay pit here being dry, lifers came thick and fast – Crested Pigeon, Fairy Gerygone, Noisy and Little Friarbird, Yellow Honeyeater, Rufous Whistler, Olive-backed Oriole, Australian Magpie and Double-barred Finch. Once again all great birds, well all except those friarbirds(!), each one deserving of a line or two, but the stand outs were the dapper grey and russet Rufous Whistler and the smart Yellow Honeyeater.

Continuing off into the boondocks, we soon left the security of a sealed road for the red dirt pleasures of the Henry Hannam Track (an area about which a Kent friend had enthused, rightly so as it turned out). The open gumtree woodlands here gave up Dollarbird, Pheasant Coucal, Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike, Grey Shrike-thrush, Leaden Flycatcher and White-throated Honeyeater. The latter, my first of the Melithreptus honeyeater group, was gorgeous mix of an olive-green upperparts, white underparts and a black cap which sported a small red wattle over the eye and a white flash on the nape. Less co-operative were the several Brush Cuckoos that were calling (although eventually one was seen well) and the large, noisy, but surprisingly elusive Channel-billed Cuckoos (which only graced us with BVDs). My fist Laughing Kookaburras were similarly noisy, but entirely elusive and dismissed by Phil as a ‘tart’s tick’. Our return run along this track later got me Meereba Rock and Agile Wallabies. Unfortunately, what would have been the ‘bird-of-the-day’ (if not the trip), an Australian Owlet-nightjar failed to show at a regular roosting site (an oversight twice repeated during my stay).

Just to emphasise the sheer diversity of the area our next destination was a rainforest, but this time of the distinctly different type found on the Atherton Tablelands. Our principal target here was Golden Bowerbird a very localised endemic. Unfortunately, although we saw its bower, the bird itself declined to show itself. A Tooth-billed Bowerbird nearby did better since it constantly sang from the dense cover. Unfortunately, the moment Phil managed to spot it through a ‘window’ in the foliage, the bird flipped out of sight leaving me with a distinctly UTV. Happily other species, several of them top ‘wants’ and local endemics , were more amenable to being observed – Bower’s Shrike-thrush, Fernwren, Yellow-throated Scrubwren, Grey-headed Robin, Grey Fantail and Lewin’s Honeyeater. Once again all great birds – Lewin’s was a doppelganger for Yellow-spotted/Graceful (call & habitat being crucial ID factors), both the Fernwren and the scrubwren proved to be less skulking than we had any right to expect whilst the subtle charms of the Grey-headed Robin made it, even in this crowded field one of the ‘birds of the day’. Unfortunately, just as things were really looking good, ‘rain stopped play’ so the list of ‘heard only’ species rose to include White-throated Treecreeper, Bridled Honeyeater, White-throated Gerygone, Golden Whistler, Mountain Thornbill and Rufous Fantail. Happily, the Australian cricket team hadn’t been so lucky! One stroke of luck, though, more than made up for our getting drenched. As we clambered along through the woodland a small bird had flown up and across our path which I continued to track it through the trees and, at first, I overshot the dark ‘lump’ sitting in a branch, but when I back tracked to my amazement I realised I was looking at an owl! When I pointed it out to him Phil was even more amazed to find it was a Lesser Sooty Owl, the first he’d ever seen in daylight. That spot lighting trip suddenly seemed less urgent!

With the rain still falling, we evacuated to Bromfield Swamp hoping to return to the forest in better conditions. (Unfortunately the opportunity never arose; all the more reason to return one day). At Bromfield Swamp, which languishes on the floor of an ancient volcanic crater, I found our only Black-necked Stork of the trip whilst Phil found my first Torresian Crow (no, I wasn’t excited either) and Red-backed Fairywren (excitement here being tempered by the fact that it was ‘only’ a female). A pseudo-tick here, which Phil assures me is legit., was Eastern Cattle Egret . Being in full ‘sum. plum.’ it ‘out-gingered’ the European variety, as I’d expected, but what did surprise me was that it seemed to have a different shape; less jowly and squat than its cousin. Naturally, given the way things were going we added Black-faced Monarch and Tawny Grassbird to our ‘heard only’ list.

Perhaps our next stop, a bend in the river at “Picnic Crossing”, would stop the rot. Searching the area we quickly located Red-browed Finch, Brown Cuckoo-Dove, Eastern Yellow-Robin, Large-billed Scrubwren, Brown Gerygone and White-cheeked Honeyeater. The latter was an amazing humbug of a bird, black-and-white set off with a golden wing panel; in a crowded field this has to be the most attractive honeyeater yet. Stunning. The rot, however, continued with Azure Kingfisher, Koel and Black-faced Monarch (again) joining the limbo of ‘heard only’.

En route to the various sites the birding didn’t dry up with several ‘drive by then screech to a halt lifers’ lifers for me. At some undistinguished old peat workings we had our first Little Black Cormorants and Australian Purple Swamphen (another pseudo-tick) and what turned out to be our only Australian Grebe and Dusky Moorhens. Somewhere, I’m not sure exactly where we added Pied Butcherbird and Pied Currawong. Near Broomfield a couple of Australian Black-shouldered Kite (an adult and youngster) showed well; to my eye they had distinctly longer and more pointed wings than their Spanish brethren. Phil, of course, was chagrined that both Laughing and Blue-winged Kookaburra shamelessly flaunted themselves at several points along the way. The first may have the iconic status, but the second had the looks! Despite all those wretched auditory add-ons, this was a terrific day with, once again, about 40 lifers.

 

[birdboybowley]

Great to see Boca's still around - still chasing them brush-turkeys off the veranda??

 

[chowchilla]

Phil and Sue's dogs were remarkable. They had distinct barks for different animals: Cassowaries, Goannas, Snakes etc. You'd know what was wandering through in advance of seeing it!

Lesser Sooty in broad daylight is even more remarkable, and just the sort of jammy luck that visiting birders seem to have.

RE my User Name: I wanted an iconic local bird, and Chowchilla stood out as the weirdest name of the lot and a bird with lots of character to boot.

Great trip report John; if you're ever in this part of the world again, drop me a line!:t:

 

[JWN Andrewes]

Weirwood? Good Lord no! That's not even in Kent. It wasn't far off though as it was at Wierton Hill, Kent May 1991. I never got close as it'd winged its way off into the wild blue yonder long before.

Ah! Sorry John, yes that's the one I meant, but similarity of names (well, first syllable homophones anyway) combined with distance in time, declining brain function and probably a few other things conspired against me. Should've double checked before posting. As you were.

James

 

[John Cantelo]

Great to see Boca's still around - still chasing them brush-turkeys off the veranda??

Ah that's SO English, asking after Boca but not Phil and Sue! Boca is now semi-retired from his duties since his eyesight is now very poor. Happily both Phil and Sue are in better condition.

I'll be posting the next installment later this evening, but thought it the right moment to share with you all the hardships and tribulations I had to endure to bring you this report. Accordingly, I have posted a photo of yours truly in repose at Cassowary House checking out details after a hard day in the field

 

[John Cantelo]

Lesser Sooty in broad daylight is even more remarkable, and just the sort of jammy luck that visiting birders seem to have.

QUOTE]

Oddly enough, I prefer to see it as evidence of superior field skills and technique

 

[John Cantelo]

Saturday 11th December
Cassowary House – Cairns Esplanade - Cattana Wetlands

Once again a fairly quiet day, but not one without some excellent birds ...

On my regular early AM walk I again collected all the expected birds plus my first Brown Cuckoo-Dove for the area (and which I saw daily here thereafter). Unfortunately, both Cicadabird and Chowchilla, although vocal, remained invisible. Later Phil and I explored a little further along the road seeing Grey Whistler, Leaden Flycatcher, Red-browed Finch and Collared Sparrowhawk …… but I’d rather not mention that we also heard a Spotted Pardelot and failed to locate the local Lovely Fairy-wrens here. The ‘sprawk’ was a handsome bird and although its relatively small size and ‘squared’ tail allowed a confident ID, I was glad to have Phil along to confirm it.

A jaunt down to Cairns took me again to the mangroves by the waterfront where Collared Kingfisher finally surrendered and I made up for my error regarding Varied Honeyeater by seeing the ‘real thing’. The kingfisher was as noisy as ever, but this time showed well in an isolated palm tree. Mangrove Robin, although still quite vocal, remained annoyingly elusive. With the tide high few waders were seen, but included all the birds I’d ticked earlier in my stay. Our next stop were took us to the Cattana Wetlands, basically tarted-up former gravel pits, on the outskirts of Cairns. One of the first birds seen here was a Black Bittern which was quickly followed by Green Pygmy-goose. A White-browed Crake conveniently scuttled out of the reeds and across the lilly-pads something more expected of the Comb-crested Jacanas. This latter species also showed well turned out to be one of those birds which far more attractive in life than any plate can show. Despite these attractive “wetland” birds, the most memorable thing about our visit here was an exceptionally obliging Yellow-bellied Sunbird that was fixated with the mirrors on Phil’s car. This allowed me to get some reasonable shots and examine its gorgeous plumage in detail. Along the road a way and in a damp patch an all white heron was feeding – Intermediate Egret, another lifer and not nearly as hard to ID as I'd imagined. Back at Cassowary House I decided that it was time to get to grips with the Chowchillas and after some eye straining peering through the undergrowth I finally caught sight of this largely monochrome bird with a wonderfully technicolour voice!

.... that was then, today I heard from Phil that he'd been out to Meereba & Hastie's Swamp and seen three lifers that had eluded us - Galah (a flock of 16), Square-tailed Kite & Buff-banded Rail. That makes seven lifers he's seen out-and-about since I came home!

 

[Allen S. Moore]

John,

I have enjoyed this thread greatly, especially as I have stayed at Cassowary House myself, most recently last October. I didn't see all the bird species that you did, although I am not sure whether your success was due to superior field skills and technique or just a seasonal thing. I'm just joking, of course! I am glad to read that all 3 cassowary chicks were still surviving at the time of your stay.

Chowchilla,

I forgot to mention that, after our walk to the Centenary Lakes and the neighbouring Cemetery on 27th October and me checking out of the hotel, I walked via Mylchreest Street and the Pioneer Cemetery to the Esplanade near your hospital. There were 4 bush stone-curlews in the Pioneer Cemetery. Indeed, they called at one stage, an amazing sound.

Allen

 

[John Cantelo]

John,

I have enjoyed this thread greatly, especially as I have stayed at Cassowary House myself, most recently last October. I didn't see all the bird species that you did, although I am not sure whether your success was due to superior field skills and technique or just a seasonal thing. I'm just joking, of course! I am glad to read that all 3 cassowary chicks were still surviving at the time of your stay.

Chowchilla,

I forgot to mention that, after our walk to the Centenary Lakes and the neighbouring Cemetery on 27th October and me checking out of the hotel, I walked via Mylchreest Street and the Pioneer Cemetery to the Esplanade near your hospital. There were 4 bush stone-curlews in the Pioneer Cemetery. Indeed, they called at one stage, an amazing sound.

Allen

Naturally, my greater success is entirely down to my vastly superior field skills and technique honed over nearly five decades of birding. The fact that my host took me out and happens to be a top birder who knows the area and its birds intimately is purely co-incidental ......

 

[John Cantelo]

I'd already seen a good few Yellow-bellied Sunbirds by the time I got to Cattana wetlands, but when we got back to the car I was treated to stunning views of this male bird (see below)which took exception to its own reflection. I'm no photographer and mine is only a 'bridge camera' not an SLR, but the light was so good and the bird so intensely distracted by its reflection that I managed to get some pleasing shots. I hope you like 'em. I've even given them captions: 'Four for the Price of One' and 'You lookin' at me?'

Stay tuned as there a really great day coming up ... arguably my best ever day in the field .... unless, that is, it was the day we had a little later in the week!

 

[John Cantelo]

.... and, oh yes, a Golden Bowerbird's bower, sadly without its owner! This was the closest I came to Queensland endemic,

 

[Allen S. Moore]

Naturally, my greater success is entirely down to my vastly superior field skills and technique honed over nearly five decades of birding.

The only clue that you are that old is that you have your glasses on a string. Me, I go round work asking, "Where's my glasses?"

Allen

 

[John Cantelo]

The only clue that you are that old is that you have your glasses on a string. Me, I go round work asking, "Where's my glasses?"

Allen

Me last month in happy post tick mode. I know I still have glasses round my neck on a 'string', but they are Zeiss 8x42s! Do they make me look any younger?

 

[Allen S. Moore]

Me last month in happy post tick mode. I know I still have glasses round my neck on a 'string', but they are Zeiss 8x42s! Do they make me look any younger?

Aye, it is amazing the health benefits of a holiday in Australia and, especially, Cassowary House! I'd recommend it any time.

Allen

 

[John Cantelo]

Sunday 12th December
Daintree Boat Cruise - Barra Farm (Wonga Beach) - “Pademelon Creek” – Mount Lewis - Kingfisher Park - Abattoir Swamp - Mareeba Golf Course

Phil and I were up foolishly early (i.e. long before light) for our drive up to Daintree so this was one of the few days I didn’t see Cassowary. It was barely post-dawn when we boarded a boat for a ride up the Daintree River with Chris Dahlberg (http://daintreerivertours.com.au/). Here we met up with a group of Japanese birders under the care of Phil’s colleague Jun Matsui. Before we set off an Azure Kingfisher, the first of many, zoomed down river. A slightly more vivid version of European Kingfisher, this was always going to be a ‘good bird’, but, better still, it removed one bird from that ‘heard only’ list. Joined by a birding couple from the UK we set off along the river with Chris at the helm (who also contributed a fascinating patter about the area) and Murray Hunt at the bow to look for birds. The first major ‘goodie’ was a Great-billed Heron – a hefty bird with a plumage whose colour was oddly hard to pin down, a sort of greyish, browny with hints of mauve! Other birds on view included many of I’d gradually become familiar with around Cairns, but also included several Black Bitterns and a couple of Common Sandpipers looking to me strangely out-of-place. Unfortunately, it was a bad time for frogmouths (often easy to see on this jaunt) and none were seen. However, one, perhaps two or even three, other lifers enlivened the trip. The first, an unequivocal tick, was a pair of Shining Flycatchers; as expected the female was a handsome black headed, gingery-brown and white bird (somewhat along the lines of a female paradise flycatcher), but I was quite unprepared for the splendour of the male. What on the field guide plate seemed no more than a glossy black bird was in reality a stunning iridescent, bright metallic-blue stunner! Even a hearing record of Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher couldn’t quite steal this charmer’s thunder. Another potential, Phil would say definite, lifer was the local form of (Eastern) Osprey; a paler brown and whiter headed bird than its European cousin. Similarly, although more of a long shot , the local race black footed race of Little Egret might be a future ‘armchair tick’.

From Daintree, we went off with Murray to confirm his sighting of a Barn Swallow nearby. The bird in question didn’t show, but a fine Sacred Kingfisher (a buffy version of Collared) obligingly stepped in the fill the void. Having passed it in the dark, we now headed back towards a collection of wayside pools and fisheries at Barra Farm (near Wonga Beach). Our target, Rajah Shelduck, quickly surrendered itself – a handsome piebald duck – but there were a number of other birds of interest. A party of Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, a single Red-necked Stint, Black-fronted Dotterel and ‘White-headed‘ Stilt (aka Black-winged Stilt). The latter was another member of that tricky sub-group, potential splits and thus potential lifers. For once I tended to agree with the splitting tendency since, although plumage is very variable across the ‘superspecies’, they sounded very different from their European relatives. (They also had duller pink legs with brighter knees).

Before we dropped Murray off at home, we had a much overdue Whistling Kite en route. Before reaching our next main destination, Mount Lewis, Phil had a short diversion in mind and turned off the main road onto a minor one which he said, was good for Red-legged Pademelons (small wallaby like animals) and indeed there was a small sanctuary for them here. As we drove along the forest shrouded road he also said, almost diffidently, that it was also a good site for Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher. Scarcely had he uttered these words when one of these eye poppingly attractive birds appeared. It’s almost twenty years since I first clapped eyes on an illustration of this species (albeit showing a slightly different race) on the cover of Helm’s ‘Kingfishers and Bee-eaters” and seeing one then seemed an unattainable dream! But here was the dream made reality! I’d have pinched myself had it not been a distraction from the beauty before me - with a large red bill, warm buffy-orange underparts and brilliant blue-and-black upperparts, all set off by a long white bridal train, this was a bird to savour! Then, as if this were not enough, a Noisy Pitta called from the undergrowth and then flitted across the road. Having flown back again it then showed briefly on the ground – so within a few minutes I’d had two magical experiences both quite beyond reasonable expectations. It was hard to see how I could cap this experience! And, yes, we did see the Red-legged Pademelons.

Cap it or not, our next destination, Mount Lewis, promised much. Driving up the long forest track we pulled over to check out a small groups of Red-browed Finch for our main target, Blue-faced Parrot-Finch . Unfortunately the target wasn’t to be seen, but compensation came in the form of a small group of Mountain Thornbill and the local endemic, Atherton Scrubwren. Parking a little further along the road we then investigated a small area of open woodland. As I searched through a small party of Red-browed finch, out popped a glorious Blue-faced Parrot-finch! Just as I’d been intrigued by the Buff-breasted Paradise Kingfisher in the relevant Helm guide, then so too had this bird intrigued me in their later volume on “Finches & Sparrows.” It really was as improbably bright grass-green as depicted whilst the blue face was even brighter! On any other day this would have been the bird of the day. The excitement didn’t stop there as first a White-throated Treecreeper and then a Bridled Honeyeater, obviously embarrassed by their former ‘heard only’ status, flaunted themselves in the nearby trees! As we headed along a path through the forest a couple of Eastern Whipbirds called, sounding like a whiplash as interpreted by the BBC’s radiophonic workshop. Thanks to some skilful fieldcraft (!) another ‘heard only’ species was soon ‘in the bag’. Phil promptly called a singing Golden Whistler which, after some desperate searching, became yet another ‘full’ tick. If this was fiction then in all decency the script ought to end here, but this amazing day had more to give. As we drove down form the peak first one and then another Bassian Thrush . appeared. Now although 'split' from that mythical-mega, White's Thrush this was close enough to make the heart beat faster and give that tremendous 'rush' that only comes from of nailing a much longed for species. Simply amazing! Unbelievably, even on this day of days, the promise had not only been matched but and exceeded.

So it was with some confidence that we headed for the legendary Kingfisher Park (www.birdwatchers.com.au), a great place to stay with some virtually resident Papuan Frogmouths. They weren’t there! The rest of the week, yes, but today not even with the owners, friends of Phil’s, helping us look. A Pacific Baza and good views of Black-faced Monarch were some compensation, but not sufficient.

Next stop a few kilometres on was the insalubrious sounding Abattoir Swamp which, fortunately, only lived up to the second part of its name. As we approached a Blue-cheeked Honeyeater – a handsome friarbird sized bird – flew across the road, but our main target for this was as a site for the scarce Black-chinned Honeyeater. Unfortunately ‘target’ was what it remained, but compensation was to be had in the form of excellent views of Brown-backed Honeyeaters, Leaden Flycatchers, Dollarbirds and my first Northern Fantail. A heard-only Scarlet Honeyeater was less welcome.

At Mareeba Golf Course I ticked Eastern Grey Kangaroo - they must have a rubbish handicap as all they seemed to do was laze around in the shade! Back at Cassowary House I finally managed to get good views of Chowchillas. So ended what has a strong claim to be my best ever day birding. Despite the lack of a frogmouth, we’d seen some fabulous, and to me almost mythical, birds. Above all it was an experience shared with one of my oldest birding buddies and someone I’d not seriously birded with for thirty years or more. It all seemed very long way from Taunton’s School (where we’d met) and the adjacent Southampton Common where Phil’s ludicrous, but correct claim of Hawfinch, made me realise he was (as he still is) a better birder than me. Or perhaps just more obsessed ... or is that the same thing?! A long way too from Titchfield Haven and Portland Bill where we’d cut our birding teeth. Brilliant!

 

[Chlidonias]

great thread. I doubt anyone will believe me, but I didn't see the cassowaries at Cassowary House (although why I'd make that up I'm not sure -- a birder not being able to find a six foot tall bird is like going to the elephant house at the zoo and not being able to see an elephant). However as unlikely as it may be, they simply refused to turn up when I was there. I'm not entirely sure they even really exist. I doubt they're even that spectacular a bird anyway.

I've even given them captions: 'Four for the Price of One'

shouldn't that be "five for the price of one"?

 

[Allen S. Moore]

great thread. I doubt anyone will believe me, but I didn't see the cassowaries at Cassowary House (although why I'd make that up I'm not sure -- a birder not being able to find a six foot tall bird is like going to the elephant house at the zoo and not being able to see an elephant). However as unlikely as it may be, they simply refused to turn up when I was there. I'm not entirely sure they even really exist.

I "dipped" cassowaries the first time that I stayed in Cassowary House, in 2008, which is one of the reasons that I went back last October. I managed to "dip" an even larger creature earlier in my holiday last October. Well, I went on 2 whale watching trips with Naturaliste Charters from Dunsborough in the far SW of Australia, and the captain, Mal, asked me on the first day what had brought me all the way there from the Isle of Man. I said that I had read that they sometimes see blue whales. "Yes, we saw two yesterday," Mal told me. On the second day Mal leaned over to me and said, "There's your blue whale," but the animal had just submerged and never reappeared. I had "dipped" the largest animal in the world!

Allen