European herring gulls (Larus argentatus) are doing a little dance to charm the worms.
The gulls know that worms will rise to the surface when the soil is damp and the surface vibrates as if it’s raining so they stamp their feet to make a pattering sound.
The fancy footwork is called worm charming.
(video by MissusGadget on YouTube)
Oh my gosh, this was so funny! The music makes it! So improved my day after a morning of clearing snow! Thank you!
It seems like it would be a wash. The energy they are using to get the worms to get energy to get more worms seems like a lot of work for not much gain! HAHA
I saw a show about people who do something with a similar effect to catch worms for use as bait in fishing. They put a wooden stake in the ground and they “play” it by running a piece of steel or a hand saw across the stake’s top to make vibrations go into the ground.
Andrew, I’m writing more about charming worms tomorrow or Sunday … with videos!
any solution yet to the hideous jumping worms that seem to be plaguing so many of us?
Anne, I haven’t heard anything about a solution.