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.
Ostrich Running
Summer Playground
Night Cat
Senator James Paterson
Garden Shrimp
Dromaius
Running Moa
Almost a 6
The Grim Reaper
Fox
Dash
Incoming Storm
Sakuran
Herons
Marker
Towards the Ancient City
Comet
Ned on a Horse, After Sidney
Elegance
Dandelion, Stripped
Buddha
Moonrise
By the Sea of Galilee, Israel (taken by Stefanie)
Nebular System
Jellyfish
Witch Travel
Setting Up Camp
Stretching
Colonial Ties
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
Rabbit
Hound
Dancing with the Stars
Landscape
Natalie
Hummingbird
Summit
Emergence
Love Under Fire
Angel Fish
Cracking the Whip
Cockroach
Mouse Riding the Stringray
Excited
Out of the Game
Satellite
Jabba
Adam Ant
Anselm Kiefer
Bilateral Amputee, Juggling
Stoat
Armed Soldier
Harbour Islands
Shrimp
The Nymph and the Brolga
Desert Shades
The Sounds
Mortality on the Farm
Brachyura
Battlefield
Stork
Leonard
Cat Looking
The Gathering of the Clans
Angler
Eagle
Bat and Quokka
Harry on his Nimbus 2000
Turn my back on the devil
Porthole
Late Advent
The Arts Centre
Mouse Outside the House
Pod
Southern Alps
Graham’s Cross
Waterfall
Jumping Rat
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground
Spill
Mountaineer
Dancing Brolga
Some Roses are White
Signature
Godot’s Tree 2
Circus
Sandhill Crane
The Beach
Sapling
Collision Course
Eruption
Sunset
Angel Rushing
Singing Bird 2
Three Magi Following the Star
Thoroughbred
Seed
Phophatidylserine Receptor
Pelecanus
Ice-cream
Drunk Conductor
Santa’s Sack
Dementor
Paris
Horseshoe Crab
The Place of the Skull
Lily
Footballer 2
Alison Preparing the Duck
Reflection
Swing the Baby
Shoes with Straps
Moa Startled by the Sound of a Frog, near Rawiri Bay
Intersections
Emu Running
Jordan
Speech Bubble
Balloon
Heidegger
Determined Woman (with Mary Somerville)
Termite Rejoicing at the End of a Long Election Season
Leather Jacket
Reduviidae
Angel Fish Parting Ways
Footballer
Wandering Egret
Satellite 18
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 …
Terrier
Horizon
Rabbit
Communion
Melbourne Cup, 1930
Flashes
Lung
After Bruegel’s Blind Leading the Blind
Glide
Fireball
Wild Goose Blues
Flower of Scotland
Texas Devil
Scorpio
Fireworks
Bull Terrier
Uprooted, after the big winds on Sunday 9 October, 2016
Dancing Ogórek
Seahorse
All the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy
Hosanna
Banksy
Godot’s Tree 1
Cirque du Soleil
James Lawrence Levine
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