Moth
2/28/21
[object Object]
I was alone
I was at work
I was impressed by its size
I assume it was attracted to the light outside the building and died in situ at the end of its life cycle.
I assume it died naturally since its exoskeleton has not been bitten.
I picked its body off the floor so it would not get stepped on and placed it on top of a nearby voltage box like a little sentry, so it could watch over people coming and going.
Lizard
3/8/21
[object Object]
I was with my partner
I was attending my cousin's basketball game at BENDAT
I was sad that the lizard had been killed
I remember when I was a kid I used to put dead lizards on ant hills and later collect their skulls once they were picked clean. I considered doing that for this one, but we were too short on time.
I assume it had been killed not long ago, probably by a car parking up since there was no evidence it had been snacked on yet by a bird or other predator. I hate the impact of urbanisation on local wildlife.
I think it was probably hit by a parking car.
A few ants had already found this lizard. It hadn't been there long. I imagine a corvid will carry it away and finish eating it, otherwise the ants will. Roadkill doesn't last very long in the Australian heat.
Insects
1/6/20
I was by myself
I was working night shift
I was bored
Along with the rest of the mine, the shed where I was working was one of the only sources of light in the desert at night for miles and miles, so the insects gathered and died there in droves.
I assume they came to the end of their natural life as they were in good condition.
I had to clean the vehicle bays, so removing all the bugs, dust and debris is part of the task, but they were so large and beautiful and I wanted to take a picture of the best examples before consigning them to the bin, where they would be crushed and never thought of again.
Frog
2/6/19
I was by myself
I had just come back to my room at camp
I was tired
It is the wet season and there are a lot of frogs around. When I got back after my shift, I found one dying in my shower and the other had been crawling through the dust under the bed/wardrobe, dried out and very recently died. I splashed some water on the living one and soaked some toilet paper to leave beside it. It was initially too weak to move but regained strength overnight while I slept, and I released it near a drain pipe the next day. I placed the dead one on a rock near an ant's nest not far from my room, because I wanted to see its skeleton.
The frogs probably got into my room through a drain in the bathroom.
It gets upward of 45 degrees in summer, and I leave the Aircon off when I leave my room which was made of a metal sea container, so it might get even hotter in there. Without food or water they probably began to dry out and overheat very fast.
I went back every day for 3 days to check on the skeleton. The ants were doing a great job but on the 3rd day it was missing. I assume someone else saw it and got rid of it, maybe one of the cleaners. I guess we're not supposed to encourage the ants to thrive near our accommodation.
Pigeon
2/23/20
Bathgate, UK
My photographer friend was with me. This abandoned building is dilapidated but covered in signs of other life, from plants to mould and other small organisms, to birds and insects.
I am wandering here to look for interesting places to do some photo-performance.
Nervous and excited about upcoming projects, feeling very cautious about this abandoned space (and being caught).
With the way it's feet are torn away from its body, I thought about all the disembodied bird-feet jewelry popular on Etsy. I assume most people think that stuff is somewhat morbid, but I wonder how many think about how this is basically how those pieces start.
I assume it is, or was, this pigeon's home.
It must have been attacked by another non-human animal.
I don't think its body can be put into a performance piece, but it may appear in the photos. Everything here seems to just take its time decaying; there isn't much human activity to disrupt that process.
Bird
1/17/20
Glasgow, UK
The only person was myself, and there were no bugs around or any other animals.
I was leaving my studio to get some air and a coffee, walking along next to a busy road with a motorway on a bridge above me.
I remember being really busy that day, and the sight of the bird totally stopping me in my tracks and making me pause.
I think the bird was probably nesting underneath the bridge I was walking under.
It was right next to a busy road so it probably was hit by a car. It would have gone so quickly as it was a tiny creature and the cars travel fast down that road.
The Body was almost totally disintegrated - although I found it amazing how intact the bones were. I think the rest of the bones were not going to stick around for much longer but I like to think they wouldn't be disturbed by any other animals.
Unknown, large bird
10/18/19
Glasgow City Centre, UK
It's the city centre of Glasgow, so there's a fair number of people, and the usual seagulls and pigeons.
I was heading home from work.
I was feeling tired and wanting to get home mostly.
I didn't really have any memories, it felt very out of place because I couldn't really identify the species but it wasn't a usual bird I see around.
It looks like maybe its some kind of bird of prey, there are a lot of smaller birds around here it could be hunting.
I don't know how it could have died.
I wish something could be done with it, because it looks pretty, but I feel like this is one the city will collect.
Young Crow
10/6/19
Athens, Ohio, USA
I am walking down an empty street with a friend. I can hear some other birds chirping, and it's a fairly warm day in Ohio, so there are some insects flying about.
I am walking to buy wine at a Kroger with my friend.
The walk is a fair bit longer than I anticipated; I didn't wear good shoes and my feet hurt. I'm anxious to get back to my friend's place.
I think it's a young crow but there are a lot of black birds that aren't crows. The beak looks similar to me, though. Crows have so many references in poetry and art. I also remember an artist's project about talking to crows - it was the first time I'd learned how social and communicative they are.
Rural Ohio has its fair share of crows.
I can't tell how it died - it's feathers are very torn up, but I don't know if that happened before or after death.
Since it's hot out, there might be more insects about to participate in the decay process. It's near enough to a town street, I wonder if it will be something the city 'takes care of,' which I think in many cases means incinerated.
Bird, unknown
10/4/19
Athens, Ohio, USA
I'm in a very open field with my best friend and her dog.
We are walking her dog around Athens, toward a nearby dog park.
I'm happy to be with my friend.
The nearby McDonald's cup reminded me of some past photographic work I'd seen that was documenting litter, but I can't recall specifically the images or artist.
I'm sure it's a local species of bird, but it's not one I know.
It's one of those perfectly in-tact and still birds that make it impossible to guess. I'm also not ever near any houses - usually I assume birds who've died this way hit their head on a window.
I wonder if people who travel around picking up litter will come to this location and consider the bird's body a kind of litter. Maybe by then another creature will have picked it up.
Chipmunk
10/1/19
Oberlin, Ohio, USA
I am in a friend's backyard, with him. His cats are strolling around nearby, and there are goats bleating in his neighbor's yard.
I'm visiting friends in Ohio.
I feel relaxed being on vacation, and nostalgic for Ohio.
I remember all the animals I'd previously worked on that I found in Ohio. Several were also found in this friend's backyard.
It's rural Ohio, so there's a lot of overlap of human life, domestic animal life, and wild animal life.
My friend's cats are pretty skilled hunters for their age, they caught this one and left it on his porch.
I wish I could take this one with me, but I can't travel internationally with a dead animal on me (I've tried, and spoken to a lot of bureaucratic offices about it).
Pigeon
8/25/19
Glasgow West End, UK
I am walking with a friend - you can see our feet in the photo. It's raining, and I am the least observant when its raining. Mostly what I notice is just wetness and raindrops.
I was going on a walk with a friend, despite the rain.
We are meeting up to talk and vent about a shared issue going on in our personal lives, so I'm feeling emotionally exhausted and overwhelmed simultaneously. There's also somehow more of a sad response to a baby or young animal's death than an older one, maybe this is learned culturally the same way it is in humans.
Without its feathers, it looks like a small version of a chicken or quail you'd buy in the grocery store.
The bird looks young, maybe it was born here.
The bird's feathers don't look quite useable to fly. Maybe it fell out of the nest.
I hope it gets eaten by scavengers.
Pigeon
7/31/19
Finneston, Glasgow, UK
Finneston is much busier than where I stay - there are more people around, but also still plenty of pigeons, especially right off of Kelvingrove park.
I was walking to my studio.
I am often pretty stressed out on working days. There's always a lot of people around my studio, and I don't really like talking to strangers, so I am anticipating that while also being acutely aware of how unfriendly I come off.
I have memories of these kind of mysterious pigeon deaths, where the pigeon's body looks completely in tact and I can't immediately see the cause of death.
The pigeon probably lived around here and looked for food on this street. This makes me think about Argyle Street in Finneston's reputation for its good food.
I have no idea. I will take this one though, and I may find out.
I put this bird in a plastic bag and take it to my studio. I will try to incorporate it into a future work.
Pigeon
7/20/19
Edinburgh, UK
There are people all around me - Edinburgh is often quite busy like this, especially when its nice out. With all the human activity it's hard to notice other life.
I am here visiting some museums with a friend.
I am in good spirits - I really like this time with my friend, and our wanders around Edinburgh are some of my favourite things to do in the UK.
I'm so familiar with the sight of dead pigeons in particular, it is hard to have any one specific memory when I see one. Pigeons are one of my favourite animals though - I fell in love with them when I lived in London and used to watch them while waiting for the train. They're so tenacious, sometimes you see them just walking about as normal with missing toes and feet.
Pigeons are always gathered in these urban centers, often near parks finding scraps of food from people.
This one may have died by a car (or bus or bike maybe). The bird's head and wings are in tact, but the body looks completely torn apart.
Unknown, partial skull?
5/29/19
Glasgow West End, UK
The usual crew on this street - the German Shepard nearby, the life around the River Kelvin.
I was walking home from doing shopping.
I was anticipating being home.
I remembered in Florida when at a little beachside shop, they had for sale a skull of a catfish known as the 'crucifix fishbone' because of the way it resembled a cross. When I was in high school I loved to wear rosaries (albeit in a blasphemous way, but that was part of the fun), so it was like a combination of interests.
I think another animal must have brought this here - I can't remember seeing it before, and it has a fair bit of damage - I can't even really hazard a guess as to what animal it was at one time.
I don't know how it died, but it has been dead a while.
This is the kind of piece another human might pick up since its so dry and past its decay process. I was the kind of child who would have picked it up. Maybe they'll post online somewhere how to clean it. I answer those kinds of posts all the time.
Bird, unknown
5/7/19
Glasgow West End, UK
I'm right by where a German Shepard lives and is often hanging out in the garden, not that I think the dog had anything to do with the animal's death. I'm right outside the park entrance along the River Kelvin, so I can hear people and dogs but I can't see them. There's also aways a lot of life on this small road since there's some large, often packed-full trash bins right by one of the residential streets.
Walking home from being on campus.
Usually by this point in the walk, I'm anticipating getting home - so thinking about if my dogs need to pee, if I need to pee, what I'm doing when I get home, etc.
Not memories exactly, but I do think about how often I walk this exact path and if I just didn't observe this bit of animal before or missed the decaying process.
It is so far decomposed it is hard to say. Though there's always a lot of urban life here in this bit of the west end by the Botanics. As mentioned above, I might have been too in my head own to notice it before, or maybe it was brought here by another animal.
Too far decomposed to even guess.
It seems too dry for anything to be left to eat on it. I don't really know - I guess it will just continue to degrade over time. Feathers and bones take the longest. Though they're so small I imagined they'll just go unnoticed.
Pigeon
7/18/18
Glasgow West End, UK
I was at what I just refer to as 'the farm,' which is actually a friend's rental farmhouse on a large plot of land that includes some abandoned barns. It used to be a dairy farm. It's always very quiet out here, though there's always sounds of other birds and cows in the distance.
I frequently stay here for long stretches, for work or play. It is a good place for doing taxidermy work and for having parties and barbecues.
Relaxed, as I often did here.
When I was little, my family had some land in a rural area in Southeastern US. It was the first place I remember seeing dead animals this close up, and as bodies killed by other animals, rather than by cars.
Very likely could have lived here too - there's always nests and families of pigeons in the barns.
I see a lot of foxes out here, so that is my best guess.
I think other life - particular insects - will slowly eat away at it as it decomposes.
Cockroach
1/12/21
Perth, Australia
I was by myself
I was at work
Surprise, mild horror
The bugs are generally upsized around here but this was an absolute unit.
It is the desert, large insects are unavoidable.
It probably came to the end of its natural life cycle, or maybe crawled through some bait or chemicals.
I swept up the body and put it in a bin in case it did have chemicals on it and got eaten by a bird. I assume the carapace will be crushed to unrecognisable bits and become general dirt and debris.
Magpie
1/12/21
Perth, Australia
I was by myself
I was in the Pilbara due to work, it was the end of my shift.
I was curious
This was not the first dead bird I saw that day, I wondered why they all died.
There are magpies everywhere, it is not unusual for one to die here.
It may have been sick or attacked by something.
It will probably decompose where it died until it is eaten by a scavenger or put in a bin by cleaning and maintenance staff.
White cockatoo
1/12/21
Perth, Australia
I was by myself
I was crossing the road in town after work
I was curious
I remember noticing many dead birds on the same day and wondering why they all died.
It was beneath a tree - perhaps it fell from there when it died.
It may have been attacked, or sick. It was hard to see the condition of the body beneath the feathers but there was no obvious blood.
I imagine that it will start to decompose where it lies until it is picked up by a scavenger like a monitor lizard, or removed by cleaning and maintenance staff.
Kangaroo
12/22/20
Perth, Australia
I was passing by in the car with my colleague
It was the usual route to work. I had noticed the carcass months ago and never been able to identify it from the car in passing. I wanted to know what it was and to get a better look. I could see the skull was intact and waited until I was sure the soft tissue was fully decomposed so that I could collect it to display or make art.
I was curious to identify the animal, and slightly nervous about being witnessed by colleagues due to my role at work. I doubt anyone would have really cared, but it is a small mining town and people take notice of my role and love to comment. Another reason I was waiting to get a better look was for a time when the only other person in the car was a close friend who would not consider it unclean and who would tolerate me bringing the skull into the car.
When I was 7 my aunt and uncle lived in Kalgoorlie (also the WA desert) and they found a dead eagle. They cut off its head, boiled off the flesh and gave me the skull for my birthday. It was one of the coolest things I had ever seen at the time, and I still have it on my bookshelf today despite having moved countries several times.
Due to its proximity to the road, the kangaroo may have been hit by a car, but it is the middle of the desert and animal carcasses are pretty common regardless. We are always surrounded by wildlife and death.
Maybe hit by a car
I wrapped the skull in a biohazard bag and took it home to clean and either display or use to make an art piece. The rest of the skeleton will probably stay a part of the drive to/from work for a long time. I enjoy looking out for it and thinking about what my own skeleton looks like.
rat
5/8/19
kelvin drive, glasgow
i can see some birds nearby. i don't see many bugs around. i was by myself.
i was running errands
i was feeling tired from carrying shopping bags
i remember other rats and mouse i've found, but usually they're near homes or indoors, unlike this one
there's a large rubbish bin on this street, i've noticed a lot of animals hang around it, i assume to pick at the trash
it doesn't look run over by a car, but it seems to have been smashed by something?
this close to other animals, i imagine it will get eaten. someone may step on it and get guts on their shoes, which would travel with them for a short while.