Digging for worms
 

Just watched a blackbird in my back garden search out a worm .. then .. yuk .. eat the poor miserable wriggling thing, however, curious to know how they find them in the first place. Can't see any clues on the surface or 'owt.

Guess, like all animals, they increase their senses to search out the necessary food.

Ok .. could possible be a little bored.. still curious though.. :confused:

Re: Digging for worms
 

I dont know if its right but i got taught they do a 'rain dance'......dance on a patch of grass and the worms think its raining so they come out.....surprise surprise,they get the luxury of being eaten......



no rude comments please ;)

Re: Digging for worms
 

I see a large flock of landgulls (visiting from Whinny Hill I think) regularly descend on the playing field. They walk across the grass like a posse of policemen doing a fingertip search, all walking in the same direction

Re: Digging for worms
 

I'm with Kitty on this one. I was told as a child that the birds jump up and down, and their little feet pitter-pattering, tricks the worms into thinking it's raining.

Hence they come to the surface, only to be pulled off and gobbled by Mr Blackbird.

Re: Digging for worms
 

nice one birds lol dumb animals - i think not.:D

Re: Digging for worms
 

Mmmm .. that does sound quite feasable to me ... although don't think would need to convince the worms about the rain today ... :D

(Just wish someone had told that to the motorist today on puddle-swamped Asda car park that he didn't have to drive through it quicker than need be, to attract my attention, by soaking my left leg .. sat here steaming literally now :rolleyes:)

Thanks Miss Kitty .. think I believe that one.

Re: Digging for worms
 

yep its true the little birds tap on the ground and the silly suckers think its raining and pop out....good eh?

but why do the worms come out in the first place?
the water soaks through so why come up for it?

Re: Digging for worms
 

Found this
Ladywildlife's Common EarthWorm Page
see 2nd para 'to browse in leaves and grasses and to mate' - when grass is wet it will be better to wriggle a wet body in it.

Worms are also hermaphrodites - can breed without sexual encounter

Re: Digging for worms
 

Is being a hermaphrodite different from being asexual? I thought they were different but I'm unsure. I thought hermaphrodite was just an existance of both organs, where as asexual is the ability to produce offspring alone...

Re: Digging for worms
 

is it true though, that if ya chop a worm in half you get 2 worms???
emmm......yeh 2 dead ones!

Re: Digging for worms
 

Re: Digging for worms
 

define:hermaphrodite - Google Search
define:asexual - Google Search

Worms are hemaphrodites - ie can reproduce either with or without another worm's help

Re: Digging for worms
 

my brother always threw soapy water on the ground when he was going fishing to get the worms.......

Re: Digging for worms
 

why soapy water?

Re: Digging for worms
 

They need a wet slippy surface?= logical? (when you aint got legs):D

Re: Digging for worms
 

I've seen seagulls outside work do that 'rain dance' thing. It's quite amusing to see it.

Re: Digging for worms
 

I'm pretty sure that at least Robins get their worms by hearing/feeling/seeing the worms vibrating movement. It's neat to watch them cocking their heads and then diving into the ground. They then invariably come up with a nice juicy one.

Brian

Re: Digging for worms
 

at school we did an experiment to count the number of worms that came to the surface

On 1m square we put soapy water, on another we 'tapped' the ground on another we watered it from high like rain and another we used as a control.

The soapy one won, alearly the way they wriggled showed they were irritated by teh soap.

'Rain' came next then 'us simulating rain'


control was next to zero.

so without the ability to put soapy water down or make it rain they are doing teh best they can!!!

Re: Digging for worms
 

Perhaps because of the Parkinson's Disease, and the resultant shake, I should hire myself out as a worm charmer.:D

Re: Digging for worms
 

You can remember that far back entwisi? :D

Re: Digging for worms
 

Yep, good memory is the reason I got through school. I did Zero revision, I relied on memory and luckily I have a sort of photographic memory in that I can rememebr detail that interests me. Same today, I remember stuff I like, forget stuff I don't!

Re: Digging for worms
 

So glad I 'aint a worm .. no fun in that .. :D

"Perhaps because of the Parkinson's Disease, and the resultant shake, I should hire myself out as a worm charmer" .. quoteth Garinda

Nah, better things to do with that shake honey .. :p

Hey, Entwisi .. will try that experiment in the morning (not too early though for this bird !) ... probably finish up with a frothy lawn though .. LOL.

Re: Digging for worms
 

I just wondered because of human hermaphrodites, didn't think they could produce babies alone..

Re: Digging for worms
 

Human hermaphroditism is a fault of embryonic development---- worms have evolved that way-----that's the difference

Re: Digging for worms
 

It irritates thier skin, they come up more quickly.

Re: Digging for worms
 

Ah well I'm not an animal biologist, I just didn't think hermaphrodite was the most suitable term for a worm, I would've chosen asexual. Guess it doesn't really matter, i dont plan on breeding worms.

Re: Digging for worms
 

Asexual means having no sex organs whatsover - an amoeba is asexual -reproduction by cell division
I have only GCE O level biology-- but haven't forgotten what I was taught

Re: Digging for worms
 

I didn't get taught about that in biology. It was my least favourite subject at school though and I barely went, same for chemistry. I liked Physics though :) wish I had carried that on at college.