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