who's poo

[scotia]

We were out walking along a forestry road near Aberfoyle on Sunday when we noticed on the forestry road, at frequent intervals, dark stringy poo containing multiple (about 6 or more) cherry stones - strung out like a necklace. After a few hundred metres we came across a stand of wild cherry trees - Prunus Avium - which we assumed were the source since they were laden with ripening cherries. Now I know that Avium refers to birds which love the fruit, and which act as a disperser of the seed (cherry stones). But what bird would consume that number of cherries, then feel the need to excrete the poo along the unsurfaced, stony road - when there were many trees on which they could perch? There are red squirrels, pine martins and roe deer in the area. Any informed guesses as to the ownership of the poo?

[swill453]

Were the strings twisted? That's characteristic of pine marten poo.

Scott.

[scotia]

Were the strings twisted? That's characteristic of pine marten poo.

Scott.

My wife suggested that. Most seemed to be slightly wavey string-like, although there was one large multi-storey circular poo.
Yes - It's possibly a pine marten, or rather multiple pine martens, and I suppose it would be more comfortable to produce the poo on the open track, rather than in the dense vegetation on either side of the road.

[sg31]

Were the droppings like oversized rabbit droppings?

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File ... ppings.jpg

After eating cherries they might be less solid. If so it's probably deer. All the other possibilities you mention would need a fair few animals to create a droppings track like you mentioned. Deer can crap as they walk and with a fruit diet they could cause a trail of some length. They certainly do on my lawn.

[bungeejumper]

The stringy bits in poo are usually from the fur of something mammalian that's been eaten. Fox scats are well known for that. But foxes will happily eat fruit, and often do. Meanwhile, badgers for their part will vary their diet with rats, rabbits and any carcasses that happen to be lying around.

Sorry if that's a disappointingly mundane suggestion. Still, gruffaloes are keen omnivores, and you know how scary those are. And flesh-eating zombies are well known to reach for the fruit bowl after a satisfying night out on the town.

BJ

[scotia]

Were the droppings like oversized rabbit droppings?

No - not at all like rabbit droppings. They were about 10cm long, with the poo almost like a string linking together the slighter thicker cherry stones. But your comment on the deer pooing along the road is interesting. The poo was present for a few hundred metres before we reached the cherry trees - then was completely missing after we passed the trees. So whatever animal(s) was responsible, they headed off in one direction after eating the cherries.

[AleisterCrowley]

From the thread title, I thought you'd found some Tom Baker droppings.

[tjh290633]

Sounds rather like the fox droppings that we often find on our lawn.

TJH

[scotia]

Sounds rather like the fox droppings that we often find on our lawn.

TJH

- another possibility and the correct colour, but most of the fox poos I have come across have been thicker.

[scotia]

From the thread title, I thought you'd found some Tom Baker droppings.

But no sign of a Police Box

[bungeejumper]

Sounds rather like the fox droppings that we often find on our lawn.

- another possibility and the correct colour, but most of the fox poos I have come across have been thicker.

Ah yes, but perhaps that's the laxative effect of the fruit?

Suddenly I have this mental image of a fox, with its little bowel all full of cherry stones, keeping up a random fire of shitshot from its tail gun.

BJ