cassowary

Picture of the Month

June 2008

cassowary

Wild Southern Cassowary

(Casuarius casuarius)

Atherton Tablelands, Queensland, Australia

I recently spent a week following a family of wild cassowaries through the rainforest of tropical Queensland. It was an extraordinary experience by any measure - when you consider that an adult cassowary is nearly 6 feet tall and quite capable of gutting you with his huge reptilian claw. Unexpectedly I found them attentive parents, curious and rather good-natured.

One of the most astonishing things about these threatened birds is how well they travel through the dense thickets of the Australian bush, generally by just lowering their casque-topped head and plowing through. Several times I tried to follow them through the forest only to get torn to shreds by palms and tangled up in vines.

Nikon D3 Digital camera, with Nikkor 24-70mm lens

Life, Color, Drama, Reality .... No Digital Manipulation

INTERVIEW WITH KEVIN:

Kevin was recently interviewed on the links between conservation and photography by the ICCF (Int. Conservation Caucus Foundation)

You can see the interview HERE.

PHOTO TOURS 2008: Kevin will only be leading two photo expeditions this coming year. First will be with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic to Greenland in September : see here for more information.

In late October, Kevin will be aboard the National Geographic Endeavour on a voyage to magical South Georgia Island. With a full week on South Georgia and three days in the Falklands, it will be a trip not to be missed. Joining Kevin on board will be photographer Flip Nicklin, writer Kim Heacox and Photo Expedition leaders Jack and Rikki Swenson. For more information, go here --- or contact me with questions.

To see some of Kevin's previous photos of South Georgia, visit here.