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One night, Sadie and I were sitting on the deck in the backyard, and we heard these hellacious noises in the trees. (The kind that make you poise yourself on the balls of your feet, so you can run like the very wind if you need to.) Sadie discovered the source the next day...cassowaries!
Our hostess' dad is a retired orthinologist who keeps a number of weird and wonderful birds on the Bentley premises. This was definitely one of the weirder varieties! Its feathers are so shaggy, they're almost like llama fur. You can't see it in this picture, but this male has a blue face and a horn on top of its head.
We were careful to keep a respectful distance from this guy. : )
I messed with this picture a bit, trying to get the grid marks off the toucan's face, so it could be seen more clearly. This was one of a pair of toucans, and he was all personality. As Sadie took pictures, he danced around for us, and scraped his beak against the bamboo perch.
I'm not sure what the significance of this ritual is in toucan culture, but personally, I think he was smitten with Sadie. : )
Would you trust this woman with your turklets? : ) Well, what would a trip to Sonoma be for Harriet if she didn't get to spend a little quality time with her special avian friends? But I'd like to offer assurance to all and sundry that no turklets were harmed in the production of this picture.
(Well, I actually wasn't there when this picture was taken. But there are some things I just do not want to know...: )