Faex Avium

I have always been fascinated by poo – the processes of its becoming, its powers to encourage life, and the endless jokes about the subject told by four-year-old boys, and by those boys who have not left their childhoods entirely behind. Over the years, I’ve also enjoyed reading about poo. Some of my favourite books have been Nicola Davies’ Poop: A Natural History of the Unmentionable, Josh Richman & Anish Sheth’s What’s Your Poo Telling You?, Susan Goodman’s Truth about Poop, and Jeannette Rowe’s Whose Poo? (There are more titles here for those wanting to follow up this line of research). Then, sometime in 2016, I noticed that a friend of mine started posting the occasional photo of bird poo on her Facebook feed. I was immediately struck by them. They spoke to me of simplicity, of randomness, of good humour, and of temporality. They highlighted again for me the enormous disparity between my own environmental footprint and that of other creatures. They also invited me to better notice a part of my everyday landscape, especially things like footpaths, objects that are otherwise quite uninteresting. Captured, I started doing the same – taking photos of bird poo. For a few weeks or so, it became something of an obsession, one that resulted in missed trains and lateness to meetings, interesting discussions with curious onlookers wondering what the Methuselah I was doing with my phone so close to the ground, and much amusement with children. It’s been fun. While beauty may well be in the eye of the beholder, joy should be shared. So, below are some of the images I’ve captured, shared in the hope that others may enjoy them too, or at least get a good giggle out of one or two of them.

Angel Rushing

Spill

Excited

Flashes

Singing Bird 2

Ostrich Running

Emergence

Rabbit

Senator James Paterson

Godot’s Tree 1

Satellite

Sandhill Crane

Web

Colonial Ties

Incoming Storm

James Lawrence Levine

Angel Fish

Uprooted, after the big winds on Sunday 9 October, 2016

Turn my back on the devil

Southern Alps

Glide

Determined Woman (with Mary Somerville)

Bilateral Amputee, Juggling

Angel Fish Parting Ways

Robin

Night Cat

Termite Rejoicing at the End of a Long Election Season

Marker

Love Under Fire

Towards the Ancient City

Elegance

Witch Travel

Leonard

Signature

Grover

Mortality on the Farm

Almost a 6

Wild Goose Blues

Collision Course

Fireball

Sapling

Three Magi Following the Star

Hound

Scorpio

Marlin

Knight

All the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy

Communion

Salmon

Adam Ant

After Bruegel’s Blind Leading the Blind

Fox

Cracking the Whip

Cat Looking

Jordan

Dancing with the Stars

Brachyura

The Place of the Skull

Stork

Bull Terrier

Stoat

Buddha

Paris

Reduviidae

Cockroach

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground

Summit

A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed

Out of the Game

The Beach

Terrier

Sakuran

The Arts Centre

Mountaineer

Swing the Baby

Intersections

Desert Shades

Landscape

Footballer 2

Dementor

Flower of Scotland

Jumping Rat

Heidegger

Hummingbird

Herons

Seahorse

Ice-cream

Setting Up Camp

The Sounds

Thoroughbred

Hosanna

Some Roses are White

Porthole

Ned on a Horse, After Sidney

Pelvis

Mouse Outside the House

Dandelion, Stripped

Horseshoe Crab

Garden Shrimp

Emu Running

Alison Preparing the Duck

Shrimp

Harry on his Nimbus 2000

Nebular System

Texas Devil

Reflection

Shoes with Straps

Cocktail

Dromaius

Horizon

Stretching

Godot’s Tree 2

Moa Startled by the Sound of a Frog, near Rawiri Bay

Invitation

Comet

Dancing Ogórek

Summer Playground

Jellyfish

Dancing Brolga

Cirque du Soleil

Rabbit

Running Moa

Phophatidylserine Receptor

The Gathering of the Clans

Circus

Bat and Quokka

Footballer

Angler

Pelecanus

Mouse Riding the Stringray

I will build a great wall – and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me – and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall …