Getting in Early for Sunday

Something Weird to start the weekend - wild insect sex!

These winged ants are copulating with their queen obviously unaware of the spider which is eating it from the top. In fact at one stage it looks like one of the ants was going to get lucky with the spider as well!

Witness - Green: Death of The Forests

An extraordinary visual essay about deforestation in Indonesia as experienced through the eyes of a dying orangutan called Green, whose habitat has been totally destroyed. This story is told entirely without words.

Click Here to go to Website and video link.
The Film Makers's Blog

Something you would never do twice!

Cassowary fighting a palm frond Mission Beach Queensland

Early morning kickboxing practice for the endangered southern cassowary at Mission Beach. After toying with palm frond for about 20 minutes cassowary sat down next to it for a brief rest before wandering back into rainforest. It was probably spooked by the frond hanging over its pathway, or was just practicing some of its defence moves. Palm frond sheath sustained about 15-20 puncture wounds and several slashes before finally admitting defeat.

A Message from GetUp - UNESCO visit to Cairns

On Sunday a team from UNESCO will be arriving in Cairns on Sunday March 11 as part of their investigation into threats to the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. This is the last opportunity to ensure they leave Australia with one clear message - Australians are standing up for the reef and want to see urgent action to protect it. UNESCO (The United Nations body charged with designating and protecting World Heritage sites) has taken this extraordinary step of coming to Australia to investigate for themselves, as the Australian Government didn't even tell them that they'd approved the development of massive coal seam gas and coal export facilities on the doorstep to the Reef.

 UNESCO now has the opportunity to declare the Great Barrier Reef 'in danger', which would be a huge blow to the mining industry's expansion around Gladstone and deeply embarrassing for the Australian government. UNESCO are meeting with scientists, environment groups, state government, fishing and tourism industry representatives, local councils and mining companies, but one group's missing: the Australian community. Let's send them a message they'll remember! If enough of us get together on Sunday we can create a massive message that will be seen from the sky which says 'Save Our Reef'. It's part of UNESCO's mission to take the community's views into account, so if we show up in force, it will push UNESCO to officially list the reef as "under threat," which, in turn, will greatly embarrass the Federal Government, draw welcome media attention to the destruction of the reef, and strengthen our case for the Government stop dredging and industrial developments around the reef until a strategic plan is put in place that protects the reef. We need to show them that Australians care deeply about the reef; that we are willing to stand up for it.

 Can you come along with your friends and family and join with your community in standing up for the Great Barrier Reef?

 RSVP for this Sunday's community action here: http://www.getup.org.au/cairns-community-action

 WHEN: Sunday March 11th, 11am.

 WHERE: On the lawn between the Esplanade Lagoon and the Yacht Club/Salthouse. For map see here. 

 WHAT: A fun day with friends and family where we will join together and form the message 'Save Our Reef'. RSVP: http://www.getup.org.au/cairns-event-rsvp 

The fragile ecosystem of the Great Barrier Reef reef is already under pressure from climate change, overfishing, pollution and shipping traffic. Now these huge coal seam gas and mining industry export developments along the coast, some within the World Heritage Area, threaten the Reef's very existence. This overdevelopment and destruction has got to stop. 

We can't all meet with UNESCO - but we can stand up for the Great Barrier Reef. This Sunday UNESCO arrives in Cairns. Can you be part of a community action, along with The Wilderness Society, Greenpeace and the Cairs and Far North Environment Centre, to send a clear message to UNESCO that Australians want to save the reef? RSVP here: http://www.getup.org.au/cairns-community-action So far more than 75,688 GetUp members have signed the petition to immediately halt dredging millions of cubic metres of seafloor in the Gladstone Harbour, and to stop major coastal developments in the area until a strategic assessment has been completed. Together we can save this global treasure. I hope to see you, your friends and family on Sunday! 

 Paul O, for the GetUp team.

Susan Cain: The power of introverts

In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. But, as Susan Cain argues in this passionate talk, introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world, and should be encouraged and celebrated. From TED Talks

Queen Mary comes for a visit

Yokeys Knob was a hive of activity as the Queen Mary 2 dropped anchor offshore today.

Police checkpoint at turnoff to Half Moon Bay Marina

Half Moon Bay Marina from Trinity Beach

Some disinterested red tailed black cockatoos on the foreshore of Yorkeys Knob Beach.

Garden monsters

Everything grows so prolifically here at this time of the year in the tropics, it's good to see that we are getting some help with controlling the current population explosion of  grasshoppers!

Roger Waters

If, like myself you didn't get to see the concert earlier this month, this has to be the next best thing!

Cyclone Yasi, one year on

From The Cairns Post: On February 3 last year, the biggest cyclone in memory smashed into the Far North Queensland coast. Residents lost their homes, farmers lost their crops and businesses lost their livelihoods.

Evolution - The Greatest Show on Earth

We've seen the autotune versions of the wonders of the cosmos featuring the late Carl Sagan, this is " A musical celebration of the wonders of biology, including evolution, natural selection, DNA, and more". The video features David Attenborough, Richard Dawkins and Bill Nye and includes Victoria's Rifle Bird footage filmed up here in Far North Queensland. "The Greatest Show on Earth" is the 13th video in the Symphony of Science music videos series. Materials used in this video are from:


Richard Dawkins' "There is grandeur in this view of life" speech
BBC Life
BBC Planet Earth
David Attenborough's First Life
Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life
Bill Nye Evolution episode


It's the latest part of the Symphony of Science, created by musician John D. Boswell.