What is this and can I eat it?

[DuckLover]

I found this mushroom growing on the side of a log I got from my neighbor that I have been using as a table/seat for my fire pit (not sure the type of wood likely poplar or some other tree that has about a 30yr life span). I've had the logs 2-2.5 years. This is the first significant mushroom growth I've had - we have had a drout the last 2 years and we have had limited fires so the logs are fairly stationary. We have gotten rain recently. I live in south east Wisconsin (east Troy to be exact) my plant identification app says it's an oyster mushroom but does not get more specific. Looking for a clear identification and if it is edible. I broke one off and flipped it so the gills could be seen. There are PLENTY of bugs in the gills right now. 

 

Additionally and MOST importantly is this toxic to waterfowl. I own ducks and I know the dumbies will nip at them given the chance. 

 

Thanks in advance

[svs]

Looks like oyster 

[Dave W]

Probably a species of Pleurotus (Oyster Mushroom). If correct, the wood is very likely a type of hardwood (not conifer. Pleurotus mushrooms are edible. There are a few similar-looking types that should not be eaten.... Pleuroybella porrigens is thought to contain toxins, Hohenbuehelia petaloides has an unpleasant taste, and Lentinellus species taste absolutely disgusting. All of the above have white or at least pale spore prints.  Crepidotus species produce mushrooms that are generally smaller and have brown spore prints. 

[Nutball]

12 hours ago, Dave W said:

Probably a species of Pleurotus (Oyster Mushroom). If correct, the wood is very likely a type of hardwood (not conifer. Pleurotus mushrooms are edible. There are a few similar-looking types that should not be eaten.... Pleuroybella porrigens is thought to contain toxins, Hohenbuehelia petaloides has an unpleasant taste, and Lentinellus species taste absolutely disgusting. All of the above have white or at least pale spore prints.  Crepidotus species produce mushrooms that are generally smaller and have brown spore prints. 

I didn't know there were so many similar to oyster looking mushrooms, thanks.

As a tree cutter, I get bothered by the common use of hardwood for deciduous, and softwood for conifers. As far a I know, douglass fir is a hardwood, and many poplars are as soft as pines and cedars. Even soft maple is almost like pine compared to hard maple which is more like Hickory. But, even coastal loggers from decades past seem to call all deciduous hardwoods. I have a feeling it was started by the redwood and pine loggers.

[Dave W]

Yes, some pines are hard and some deciduous are soft. It's a convention that I did not create... deciduous = hardwood; conifer = not hardwood. But, any broadly-defined category is probably gonna have a few exceptions. Eg, larch is a deciduous conifer. 

Perhaps the categories are better named... broadleaf and conifer. But, even with this you have trees like birch that have fairly narrow leaves.