Tiny spider brings Cassowary walker down to Earth

Taken more than six months and about 15 trips but today finally ran into (almost literally - had to brake hard when he popped onto road near front of the Troopy) occasional  Wallaman Falls walking companion, male Southern Cassowary (Casuarius casuarius).

As usual he had little to say and wouldn't look me or the camera in the eye during our 10-minute walk and talk along the road and in and out of roadside forest fringe. Seems hard to believe that no matter where one stands or how close one gets the bird simply walks on, head mostly down (that's where the food is - though there's not much falling anywhere on the ridge road these days) and unconcerned about someone walking within touching distance.

Dangerous walk? Not at all, so long as attention is paid to bird's body language. However, high on the buzz of the meeting after so long without a sighting made I the mistake soon after of picking up a tiny supposed woodlouse or similar from under some peeling bark. Oops. Twin fangs and sharp, sharp pain. For an hour or so. Sneaky little spider had rolled into ball to escape and didn't want to be picked up by a bare-handed idiot high on Cassowary encounter. Hard to read such tiny body talk. Tweezers or gloves are the key words.