Earthworm provides food for range of animals and birds while nurturing soil
It was an Englishman by the name of John Ray who coined the phrase, “The early bird catcheth the worm” in his collection of English proverbs, published way back in the 1670s.
Well, it isn’t just the early birds – all kinds of creatures great and small spend a surprising proportion of their lives seeking out, catching and consuming worms.
A few days ago, after a short, sharp shower, dozens of blackbirds and thrushes descended upon my lawn in the hope of satisfying their craving for worms, which had clearly been encouraged to the surface by the rain.
As far as I can see, song thrushes have enjoyed a prosperous year. There was ample evidence in the early spring of their pretty universal presence. Indeed, both locally and during my brief sojourn on the west coast, that repetitive song, so beloved of poets and composers of music, was to be heard from almost every airt and on occasions, well into the evening.
Further confirmation of their success comes with the presence of so many young throstles plundering the worms here. I find their approach to “worming” mildly amusing. You will often see a thrush cocking its head to one side as it listens for the sound of a worm emerging from its underground world. Then it is all action as the bird rushes forward, seizes its victim and vigorously tugs it from the ground.
Blackbirds approach the task a little less feverishly but just as effectively and many other garden birds are as eager as thrushes and blackbirds to supplement their diet with fat, juicy worms.
The ever-confident robin will happily join anyone digging in their garden, eager to exploit the worms duly exposed by spade or fork. Indeed, redbreast is bold enough to use such implements as a perch from which to peruse the surrounding ground in anticipation of snaffling a beak-watering prize!
And, of course, worms, in their trillions, are everywhere, thank goodness, for they are vital to farmers, growers and gardeners alike, consuming vast quantities of organic material – an earthworm is known to consume its own weight daily – and aerating the ground to keep it healthy. Furthermore, they are a vital dietary element for countless varieties of the aforementioned creatures. Indeed it might be easier to count the number of birds, animals and reptiles that don’t at some time or another, feast on them, than those that do! It is therefore, a good job that they are so widely available.
Curiously enough, while some people find worms rather odious, simply because they are slimy, wriggly and perhaps snake-like, others worship at the altar of worms. There is even an organisation – the Earthworm Society of Britain – which was launched in 2009 and surveys and diligently records earthworm density and populations. There is a surprising variety of species in the UK alone.
The society has a