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.

Cracking the Whip

Seahorse

The Arts Centre

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

Cockroach

Three Magi Following the Star

Landscape

Sakuran

Hound

Colonial Ties

Excited

Graham’s Cross

Bat and Quokka

Almost a 6

Stretching

Eagle

Turn my back on the devil

Ned on a Horse, After Sidney

Waterfall

Angel Fish

Harbour Islands

Horizon

Flower of Scotland

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

Mouse Outside the House

Shoes with Straps

Bull Terrier

Sunset

Hosanna

Dromaius

Running Moa

Cocktail

Incoming Storm

Shrimp

Love Under Fire

Leather Jacket

Satellite 18

Reflection

Dash

Moonrise

Terrier

Alison Preparing the Duck

Some Roses are White

Horseshoe Crab

Buddha

Summit

Armed Soldier

Wandering Egret

Fox

Emergence

Nebular System

Intersections

Senator James Paterson

Grover

Robin

Spill

Circus

Lung

Mouse Riding the Stringray

Invitation

Ostrich Running

James Lawrence Levine

Porthole

Herons

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

Melbourne Cup, 1930

Garden Shrimp

Pod

Seed

Out of the Game

Pelecanus

Jabba

The Grim Reaper

Flashes

Hummingbird

Dementor

Godot’s Tree 2

Angler

Mountaineer

Stork

Fireball

Termite Rejoicing at the End of a Long Election Season

Scorpio

Balloon

Angel Rushing

The Place of the Skull

Natalie

The Beach

Sandhill Crane

Lily

Godot’s Tree 1

Comet

Battlefield

Drunk Conductor

Fireworks

Knight

Sapling

Bilateral Amputee, Juggling

Reduviidae

The Nymph and the Brolga

Rabbit

Dancing with the Stars

Emu Running

Pelvis

Eruption

Desert Shades

Jordan

Heidegger

Cirque du Soleil

Texas Devil

Wild Goose Blues

Phophatidylserine Receptor

Cat Looking

Angel Fish Parting Ways

The Sounds

Glide

Signature

Leonard

Elegance

Dancing Brolga

Marlin

Communion

Speech Bubble

After Bruegel’s Blind Leading the Blind

Dancing Ogórek

Marker

Determined Woman (with Mary Somerville)

Thoroughbred

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 …