Lugworm

The Lugworm, or Blow Lug, lives in burrows in the sand from the middle shore of the beach down to the sandy seabed. Their burrows are U-shaped and are formed by the Lugworm swallowing sand at the head end and defecating it at the tail end, creating wiggly piles of sand along the shoreline known as casts. They feed on tiny animals and detritus that is filtered through the sand they ingest. They are an important source of food for birds like curlew and godwit.

When the tide goes out, coiled 'casts' can be found at the tail end of lugworm burrows. Look out for a small depression in the sand at the head end where the worm has ingested the sand. The worms themselves are variable in colour from black or brown to pink or green.