Newcraighall mystery

[PaxVobiscum]

Any ideas why there should be so many snail shells at Newcraighall station?
Last time I was there the whole place was littered with them all around the car park and on the path up to the platform.

Could it be the restaurant at the Premier Inn specialises in French cuisine?

 

[michael769]

Any ideas why there should be so many snail shells at Newcraighall station?
Last time I was there the whole place was littered with them all around the car park and on the path up to the platform.

Could it be the restaurant at the Premier Inn specialises in French cuisine?

Snails are a lot more common than you might think but most go about their business in the dark or underground are are rarely seen by us.

A number of bird species have learned to catch them and then throw or drop them onto hard surfaces to fracture the shells and allow access to the snail's flesh. In the early spring it is mostly song thrushes that can be seen doing this, especially when the ground is frozen hard and they find it difficult to get access to their other food species.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oliRAgWgTpQ

 

[LE Greys]

Snails are a lot more common than you might think but most go about their business in the dark or underground are are rarely seen by us.

A number of bird species have learned to catch them and then throw or drop them onto hard surfaces to fracture the shells and allow access to the snail's flesh. In the early spring it is mostly song thrushes that can be seen doing this, especially when the ground is frozen hard and they find it difficult to get access to their other food species.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oliRAgWgTpQ

There's one that does that in our garden in Graveley. I've so far never seen it, but there are plenty of smashed shells about.

 

[PaulLothian]

And there I was thinking they'd died of old age waiting for the arrival of the Borders Railway...

 

[PaxVobiscum]

I imagine that the snails would be very happy with the progress on the Borders Railway.