Great news for us here at Cassowary House, Kuranda was the return of our male Cassowary on Nov 29 with 5 tiny stripy chicks, the most he has ever brought in, with 3 or 4 being the usual; he has been gone for almost two months so we knew he was making a late nesting attempt. As usual very shy and wary when they first come.
Less good is the gradual disappearance of 3 of them, so that yesterday Dec 6 he came in with just 2 remaining, and we are very concerned. For the first time ever I saw a cat along Black Mt Road yesterday and this isa hell of a coincidence, just at the worst possible time when the chicks are so small and vulnerable. Usually pythons take care of such ferals, but ironically 2 years ago it was likely pythons that killed off the brood of 3 chicks that year, 2 huge ones arriving just as the checks were brought in.
Our creek usually makes a reasonable barrier between us and the suburban developments further south along the road, but the bridge is an access way and it may be that some new people have pets they are letting roam, or of course someone may have dumped an unwanted cat in the forest.We are looking at getting cat traps from the local Kuranda Conservation folks, but it is all a bit of a concern. We had 3 chicks raised to fledging earlier this year and it will be very sad if this current brood is destroyed. Phil & Sue Gregory www. cassowary-house.com ===============================
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