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