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Chris, I enjoyed your talk on poo. downside it was a bit short. I have a regular meat eating mammal in my garden and I have no idea what it is!!. But, it does leave little presents behind. They tend to be along side the fence, I know it's not cat poo, as it's a different look and smell. it's very black, about 4-5 inches long, about 2 inches thick, and tapered at both ends. It did have bits in it but to be honest I didn't want to disturb a scent marker, so I gave it a good sniff but I couldn't smell anything.
Can you help me identify it?
thanks, from wags x

are you obsest with poo because it sounds like you are and was that a gess about what they are eating

Hi plang104, I wouldn't say obsessed. But I do live in a mixed environment (woods, fields, hedgerows, etc) and I scavenge wild foods and while i'm scavenging I notice poo (you really have to, the amount of times I've sat in scat!!). I also grow my fruit and veg, and I saw the little present when I was turning the earth. Do you have any idea what it is?
thanks, wags xx

I have to say - Chris you remind me of a naughty schoolboy sometimes with your wacky sense of humour - its great - of course wildlife is serious but by making it more amusing you introduce it to your younger audience - thankyou ! Wenjoy

I also liked you're poo talk:) Poo recognition is great even if you dont dig about in it as it it often the first sign that an animal is about!:)

I also noticed that Chris is up to his old drop in a music reference tricks! Last night I think it was the Cure 10.15 on a saturday Night, and was the T-shirt Butterfly on a Wheel by the Mission?? I dunno could be imagining it... either way it's fun:)x

Agree with Wagtail above, great article but far too short!!! But didn't like the look of the badger poo at all (probably just me being too much of a lame girl) - how can a creature so divine produce something so, well, nasty .....

More articles on the less palatable side of nature would be great - as far as I am concerned it's all wonderful stuff, however bad it looks (or smells).

3. At 6:46 am on 7 Jun 2010, wrote:

@ Wagtail-Boogie - rofl - where else woud you get to leave that comment "the amount of times I've sat in scat!!"

There is a great little book to help identify animal poo - called "What S*at That? One for the coffee table in all out homes I think.

Wagtail-boogie, I think you are describing hedgehog poo. I find this poo every morning in my garden, especially near our cat's food dish and water dish. It is almost black and doesn't smell. But I could be wrong of course.
Chris, I like your curiosity in poo and the way you present Springwatch, together with Kate, Martin and Simon. A great team!

Hi Chris,this is a question about otter poo! There seem to be several otters at the bottom of my garden every night feasting on cray fish of the horrible American kind and leaving well over a dozen spraints a night, as well as a dead rat or water vole,not sure which, but also in the poo my big sis found a couple of strange little objects, I`d like to send a photo but am not sure if i can? The objects look a bit like two halves of a pebble well worn with small circles in the middle,they are about the size of a 5 p and are sort of chalky! I think I saw something recently which makes me believe they may be either part of the ear (?) or eye of a fish. Is this right? cheers, nick

going back to last thurs show where Martin was bird ringing and said they had less than 1% of small birds rings returned, is it possible that they have all been predated and eaten and that is why there is no rings returned? and how often do you and indeed can you find these rings in preditors poo??

Recently we have seen 2 hedgehogs in our garden, one large and one smaller. We only saw the large one once but the other comes every evening and forages under the bird feeders as well as in the plants. Since their arrival the floor of my potting shed has been used as a latrine by SOMETHING! I am sure it is the hedgehogs but my husband now thinks it is rats. The flooring is concrete slabs so it won't be cats. The poo is dark and up to 3cms long. Please tell me it is not rats!! Could there be a h-hog nest nearby, there is a lot of garden 'stuff' eg pots etc packed in there?

On today's program you expressed concerns about the amount of poo generated by certain of your birds of prey. I suggest you send one of your cameramen in at night with a vacuum cleaner to clean them up.

You could call this item "Our kestrel man hoovers in the dark".

Chris, I did ask this on the messageboard but wondered if you knew for sure. You said about the parent swallows cleaning the nest of parasites, but is it just possible that the adult birds rather than just collecting parasites are actually stimulating the babies to produce poo? Almost like hedgehogs do. Do you know of any birds that do this? Surely it would be a good way of keeping the nest clean!

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I've been finding poos lately (between April and now) that look rather like large soggy black marbles (about an inch around) with painted white circles. When I pick them up and unfurl them, they keep their shape a lot like hot rubber until. Unlike rubber they don't fall back into place when I let go. When I pull them though, they snap quite brilliantly. Sort of like a well compact cylinder of damp mud and silt. What could they be?

Hi Chris, Don't worry. I'm a 60 year old woman who has been obsessed with poo since childhood. As a result I know where anything from a Red Admiral, Peacock, Orange Tip,etc..... caterpillar, to a Hedgehog, Fox, Roe Deer, Pine Martin,...... Swallow, Barn Owl, Magpie, etc...... has passed. ?Not quite sure where this has got me in life though.

Hi Chris,sorry.another poo related item.This morning i went out into the garden and found a great big pile of bird poo on one of the gate posts.It was that big that i even had to call over my nieghbour to take a look.In fact i had to take a picture of so i had the proof of the poo!am i a bit weird ?think i answered my own question there.Anyhow if anyone else is as weird and whats to see the pic i'd love to know where i can upload it too on here if its poss.

Can you tell me Chris if you're still around, why fox poo smells as strong as garlic? What is it they eat for it to smell like that? I'd love to know. I don't know if I will get an answer or where. But anyway, I look forward to your expertise on poo in Autumnwatch. Have a good summer.Helen