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.

Fireball

Angel Rushing

Marker

Glide

Garden Shrimp

Rabbit

Terrier

Footballer

Bat and Quokka

Harry on his Nimbus 2000

The Nymph and the Brolga

Reflection

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

Fireworks

Excited

Ice-cream

Mouse Outside the House

Witch Travel

Swing the Baby

The Sounds

Love Under Fire

Desert Shades

Angler

Harbour Islands

Eagle

Angel Fish Parting Ways

Turn my back on the devil

Battlefield

Godot’s Tree 1

Determined Woman (with Mary Somerville)

Dancing Brolga

Melbourne Cup, 1930

Cat Looking

Some Roses are White

Banksy

Phophatidylserine Receptor

Dromaius

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

Mountaineer

Knight

Dash

Adam Ant

Reduviidae

Graham’s Cross

Jumping Rat

Elegance

Armed Soldier

Singing Bird 2

Speech Bubble

Collision Course

Angel Fish

Mouse Riding the Stringray

Paris

Natalie

The Beach

Incoming Storm

Sakuran

Moonrise

Footballer 2

Waterfall

Setting Up Camp

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

Horseshoe Crab

Nebular System

Circus

Hound

Intersections

Thoroughbred

Cracking the Whip

The Gathering of the Clans

Cirque du Soleil

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

Hosanna

Invitation

Summit

After Bruegel’s Blind Leading the Blind

Colonial Ties

Almost a 6

Satellite

Leather Jacket

Drunk Conductor

Lung

Texas Devil

The Grim Reaper

Eruption

Santa’s Sack

Dancing with the Stars

Porthole

Spill

Seahorse

Running Moa

Summer Playground

Late Advent

Dancing Ogórek

Comet

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

Brachyura

Senator James Paterson

Satellite 18

Wild Goose Blues

Pod

Godot’s Tree 2

Ostrich Running

Seed

Cocktail

Mortality on the Farm

Communion

Flashes

Signature

Rabbit

Towards the Ancient City

Southern Alps

Emergence

All the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy

Shrimp

Salmon

Heidegger

Sandhill Crane

Wandering Egret

Leonard

Pelecanus

Anselm Kiefer

Lily

Buddha

Dementor

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 …