I think he was happy

One morning last week as I was heading out to work I noticed the resident ostrich here where I am house-sitting was right near the fence.  He's not a friendly ostrich, normally he keeps his distance from people and pretends to not see you if you go near his paddock.  I've been warned to not for one minute think he's not aware of your every move and never, under any circumstances, to go near him.  

And there he was, so close, and when I stopped the car and jumped out with my camera I really do think he was unaware of me. 

He was doing something I've never seen him do before.  Now, I admit I know nothing about ostriches but I always thought they ate vegetation but this guy was definitely on the hunt for insects of some description.  Mr Google tells me they do indeed eat such things as seeds, grains, fruit, shoots, leaves and flowers. They may also feed on large insects such as locusts.  I don't the insects on the menu were very large - not large enough for me to see, anyway.

But whatever he was after, he knew how to catch them.  Spreadeagled on the ground he was flapping his wings to disturb something in the grass, his long neck swivelling left and right as he chomped loudly with his beak.  I wouldn't want to be nipped by that beak! 



Then he'd lift his head as if to check that none and got away.

Before going back to beating the ground with his wings and snaffling up his prey.

Although he did seem unaware of me I wasn't brave enough to stick the camera lends through the wire of the fence.    

Then he suddenly seemed to see me.  Slowly, as if reluctantly, he hauled himself to his feet.  But his wings were still not folded back and I suspect the moment I got in the car and hurried off to work, he would have gone back to his feast.