Blackbird v Slug: no contest, really

This was the welcome sight outside my kitchen window today: a blackbird giving a slug a good pasting. The bird was holding the slug in its beak and moving its head from side to side, smashing its prize into the stone, presumably to tenderise it before eating.

I've seen thrushes use a stone as an anvil on slugs, but not this. It's a perfect illustration of why introducing birds into the garden is a must for the organic gardener. The mealworms I've been putting out have been doing the trick of getting more birds in, which is useful from an entertainment point of view, too, as my daughter loves them - she vibrates with excitement every time she sees one.

Comments

[Matron]

That is so great to see isn't it? Yesterday I saw a blue tit in my plum tree just picking off all the greenfly! Always a positive thing to encourage birds into the garden (except pigeons of course)

[Jeremy]

You presume the blackbird was tenderizing the slug. Maybe it honestly didn't know that this snail had an internal shell.

[Garden Grrrl]

My roommate has three large lizards who spend an hour outside each day and apparently love to eat slugs. This bodes well for the new garden.