An Aussie in Singapore, a photo from Jurong East, West

Photographer's Note

No, that's not me but by the end of the day I did have the same look in the eyes as this bird after spending a whole day in the Jurong Bird Park. Photographing birds in not easy as the shutter speed needs to be very high for the fast movers- something not easily achieved in places shaded by tropical vegetation. Luckily the cassowary is not usually a fast mover.

The cassowary (genus Casuarius) is a very large flightless bird native to the tropical forests of New Guinea and nearby islands, and northeastern Australia.[2]

The Southern Cassowary is the third tallest and second heaviest living bird, smaller only than the Ostrich and Emu.

Cassowaries feed mainly on fruits, though all species are truly omnivorous and will take a range of other plant food including shoots, grass seeds and fungi in addition to invertebrates and small vertebrates.

Cassowaries are very shy, but when disturbed, they are capable of inflicting fatal injuries to dogs and children. wikipedia

macondo, cagla, rginer, Matthew-Watt, Matthew-Watt has marked this note useful

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roges (1212) 2009-06-24 3:34

Hi Klaudio !
Today we are neighbors.
You absolutely right. To photograph a bird is not easy!
You did that very well, congratulations.
Presented and played excellent picture of you.
Best regards,
Adrian

trippeek (229) 2009-06-24 6:41 [Comment]

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macondo (20449) 2009-06-24 9:24

Hi Klaudio.
What wonderful colours, and amazingly good sharp detail, considering it was taken with the lens at 200mm and only 1/80 sec. But as you say, they are fairly stationary creatures much of the time. I wonder how one would describe that look in its eye - jaded, perhaps? As you must have felt after a day without lunch.
Regards,
Andrew

aadilj (18102) 2009-06-25 1:03

Nice shot Klaudio. I like the clarity, the sharpness and the way the hues have been nuanced. the expression is priceless!

SteveH (7970) 2009-06-25 15:34

Hi Klaudio, Good sharp portrait of this bizarre face. You can only imagine what evolutionary process gave this result. good sharpness and colour in this image. cheers, Steve

rginer (881) 2009-06-28 11:15

Hi Klaudio,
Fantadsic picture of this casssowary ! And it's not easy at all ! When I was in Sydney i tried to take a photograph as well when I was in another area. I did it, but not as good as this one. Congratulations ! Beautiful colors. Well done !
Best regards,
Roser

cherryripe (21033) 2009-06-29 14:29

Hi Klaudio
Great portrait of the cassowary which is nice and sharp and stands out nicely thanks to the bokeh. Fills up the frame well too.
Regards
Nikki

Matthew-Watt (5934) 2009-08-28 1:30

Hello Klaudio,

What a remarkable bird the Cassowary is. I have been amazed by these creatures ever since I visited north Queensland as a very small kid. I also remember chatting to Steve Irwin onetime at his reptile park about a pair that he kept there, before Australia Zoo became big and touristy. What grabs me here is the beautiful hues of blue that contrast so well with the red casque. The muted foliage behind the bird is a good backdrop, natural and soft. My parents visited Jurong Bird Park recently, and the photos have been wonderful.

Matt