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.

Satellite

Horseshoe Crab

Ice-cream

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

Scorpio

Invitation

Dash

Three Magi Following the Star

Stretching

Shrimp

Shoes with Straps

Satellite 18

Mortality on the Farm

Signature

Mountaineer

Angel Fish

Flower of Scotland

Dromaius

Bilateral Amputee, Juggling

Reduviidae

Grover

Termite Rejoicing at the End of a Long Election Season

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

Cirque du Soleil

Rabbit

Reflection

Mouse Outside the House

Dandelion, Stripped

Eagle

Fox

Seahorse

Almost a 6

Wild Goose Blues

Comet

Drunk Conductor

Incoming Storm

Singing Bird 2

Ostrich Running

The Nymph and the Brolga

Leonard

Lily

Emu Running

Bat and Quokka

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 …