Just thought I’d post an interesting observation at the dry-stone wall in Hardy Farm – see post dated 18/06/08
Originally designed to be a haven for invertebrates and small mammals, as well as – as pointed out by Dave – lichens and ferns – the dry-stone wall is also proving beneficial to birds. Walking by there a couple of days ago I noticed a few broken snail shells around the base – the tell-tale signs of a song thrush’s anvil: a stone used by the song thrush to smash snails against.
Reading here, it seems this is a tactic song thrushes tend to employ when the ground becomes either frozen or baked, making their usual food choice of worms difficult. This tallies nicely with the recent frosts we’ve had.
Anyone passing with a camera, please email in a photo!
Julian Robinson.
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1 comment:
That was really nicely spotted, Julian!
Unfortunately the song thrush is a species in decline in the UK - so much so that it is a priority species for both the UK Biodiversity Action Plan and for the Greater Manchester Biodiversity Action Plan:
http://www.gmbp.org.uk/site/images/stories/pdf/songthrush.pdf
http://www.ukbap.org.uk/UKPlans.aspx?ID=621
So there - the Friends of Chorlton Meadows did a tiny bit to help... and it's working!
Alex Krause
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