Cape Tribulation Accommodation / Daintree Accommodation - B&B / Bed and Breakfast in the Daintree Rainforest National Park

This is a new page to keep you up to date with what's happening at Rainforest Hideaway, wildlife sightings and other events.

daintree coast accommodation at cape tribulation

What's new at Rainforest Hideaway?

September 2007: This year we have not seen the cassowary as often as previous years but lately she has been paying us a visit in the afternoon about 3 times a week.

December 2007: Our "regular" cassowary had disappeared for a while but turned up again late November with a family in tow! She had an adult partner with her and two chicks! Although we are used to seeing cassowaries around here this was a very exciting encounter for us too. Normally the female is not involved in rearing the chicks and the male does this but sometimes both parents will work together, I got a feeling this may be to increase survival chances of the chicks as this is a hazardous area because we have some irresponsible neighbours that let their dogs run free.

The sunbirds are building a nest under the front verandah roof.
They like being close to people as it makes them feel safe from predators like butcher birds. It took the bird only a few days to build this nest.

The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings.

The sunbirds find counterparts in two very distantly related groups: the hummingbirds of the Americas and the honeyeaters of Australia. The resemblances are due to convergent evolution due to the similar nectar-feeding lifestyle. Most sunbird species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed.

The sunbirds are tropical species, with representatives from Africa to Australasia; the greatest variety of species is in Africa, where the group probably arose. Most species are sedentary or short-distance seasonal migrants.

Like the hummingbirds, they are strongly sexually dimorphic, with the males usually brilliantly plumaged in metallic colours. Sunbirds have long thin down-curved bills and brush-tipped tubular tongues, both adaptations to their nectar feeding. Up to three eggs are laid in a purse-shaped suspended nest.