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.

Brachyura

Three Magi Following the Star

Satellite 18

Some Roses are White

Night Cat

Santa’s Sack

Glide

Garden Shrimp

Communion

Bilateral Amputee, Juggling

Banksy

Angler

Wild Goose Blues

Senator James Paterson

Excited

Southern Alps

Invitation

Setting Up Camp

Stoat

Summer Playground

Cockroach

Ostrich Running

Leather Jacket

Spill

Jumping Rat

Jabba

Singing Bird 2

Shrimp

Hosanna

Paris

Cat Looking

Ice-cream

Sapling

Rabbit

Late Advent

Pod

Leonard

Thoroughbred

Buddha

After Bruegel’s Blind Leading the Blind

Comet

Termite Rejoicing at the End of a Long Election Season

Web

Flashes

Determined Woman (with Mary Somerville)

The Grim Reaper

Jellyfish

Scorpio

Shoes with Straps

Fox

Dementor

Angel Fish

Towards the Ancient City

Elegance

Balloon

Dandelion, Stripped

Angel Fish Parting Ways

Horseshoe Crab

Emu Running

Landscape

Stretching

Incoming Storm

Summit

All the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy

Eruption

Cirque du Soleil

Godot’s Tree 2

Moonrise

Horizon

Sandhill Crane

Intersections

Cocktail

Dromaius

Reduviidae

Herons

Bat and Quokka

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

Wandering Egret

Love Under Fire

Marlin

Lung

Mouse Riding the Stringray

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

Alison Preparing the Duck

Fireball

Knight

Swing the Baby

James Lawrence Levine

Pelecanus

Fireworks

Adam Ant

The Arts Centre

Graham’s Cross

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

Cracking the Whip

Angel Rushing

Pelvis

Anselm Kiefer

Mouse Outside the House

Reflection

Mortality on the Farm

The Sounds

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 …