Australia trip: Queensland, day 1

I decided to extend the Australia trip with a visit to Cairns and the Atherton tablelands. The first day in Cairns I was on my own, but with the advice of a guide I searched out the Southern Cassowary shown in the header image.

Southern Cassowary

The feet on this Comb-crested Jacara are amazing

The Bar-Tailed Godwit has the longest non-stop flight of any bird, with the south-bound migration being about 12,000 km from Alaska to Australia or New Zealand. Before the flight they pack on fat, reaching more than 50% of their body weight being fat, and they shrink their digestive organs just before taking off. 12,000 km and about 8 days later they land with little body fat left, and then spend the next months eating.