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.

Pelvis

Satellite

Marker

Dash

Dancing Ogórek

Swing the Baby

Eagle

Hosanna

Spill

Lily

Harbour Islands

Stoat

Wild Goose Blues

Reduviidae

Battlefield

Dancing with the Stars

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

Angel Fish

Grover

Jumping Rat

Cirque du Soleil

Scorpio

Jordan

Landscape

Collision Course

Sakuran

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

Thoroughbred

Wandering Egret

Mortality on the Farm

Glide

Pelecanus

Desert Shades

Jabba

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

Footballer 2

Singing Bird 2

Porthole

Termite Rejoicing at the End of a Long Election Season

Flower of Scotland

Speech Bubble

Natalie

Harry on his Nimbus 2000

Hound

Circus

Ned on a Horse, After Sidney

Balloon

Salmon

Fireball

Stork

Seed

Elegance

Excited

Ostrich Running

Texas Devil

Knight

Dromaius

Angler

Communion

Fox

Seahorse

Dementor

Rabbit

Sapling

Leonard

Hummingbird

The Sounds

Buddha

Colonial Ties

Nebular System

Terrier

Dandelion, Stripped

Garden Shrimp

Adam Ant

Late Advent

Shrimp

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

Emu Running

Bull Terrier

Godot’s Tree 1

Waterfall

Almost a 6

Banksy

Graham’s Cross

Jellyfish

Signature

Satellite 18

Love Under Fire

Rabbit

The Grim Reaper

Alison Preparing the Duck

Melbourne Cup, 1930

Mouse Riding the Stringray

Summer Playground

Senator James Paterson

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 …