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.

Garden Shrimp

Cockroach

Phophatidylserine Receptor

Singing Bird 2

Speech Bubble

The Place of the Skull

Robin

Elegance

Wandering Egret

Bilateral Amputee, Juggling

Three Magi Following the Star

Godot’s Tree 2

Harry on his Nimbus 2000

Angler

Senator James Paterson

Leonard

Salmon

Eagle

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

Lung

Dromaius

Angel Rushing

Marlin

Invitation

Paris

Excited

Footballer

Swing the Baby

Godot’s Tree 1

Battlefield

Mouse Riding the Stringray

Fireworks

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

Sapling

By the Sea of Galilee, Israel (taken by Stefanie)

Mortality on the Farm

Armed Soldier

Dementor

Leather Jacket

Stork

Reduviidae

Rabbit

Shoes with Straps

Fireball

Fox

Intersections

Natalie

Jabba

Determined Woman (with Mary Somerville)

Footballer 2

Jordan

Almost a 6

Pelecanus

Jumping Rat

Glide

Summer Playground

Satellite

Wild Goose Blues

Running Moa

Sunset

Dandelion, Stripped

Communion

Out of the Game

Cirque du Soleil

Hound

Mountaineer

Pelvis

The Grim Reaper

Banksy

Jellyfish

Satellite 18

Bat and Quokka

Dancing Brolga

Setting Up Camp

Waterfall

Spill

Knight

Dash

Hummingbird

Lily

Reflection

Cocktail

Heidegger

Seed

Cracking the Whip

Dancing with the Stars

Pod

Angel Fish

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

Moonrise

Graham’s Cross

Witch Travel

Night Cat

Mouse Outside the House

Stretching

Alison Preparing the Duck

Southern Alps

Ice-cream

Horseshoe Crab

Balloon

Stoat

Summit

Sandhill Crane

The Nymph and the Brolga

Harbour Islands

Terrier

James Lawrence Levine

Santa’s Sack

Adam Ant

Buddha

Colonial Ties

Desert Shades

Eruption

Ned on a Horse, After Sidney

Signature

Horizon

Melbourne Cup, 1930

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 …