As a fisherman I’d say, from experience, they are dead earthworms. That’s how they look if you keep them too long in a bait tin, as I found out when I was a small boy about 55 years ago 🙁
That’s what they looked like to me too … as per my post above. But @January Man says not
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
My "no" was only regarding fishing upstream. It definitely wouldn't be that because a) there's no fish in there, and b) the source of the stream is about 800m away.
It's very plausible based on the above - and looking most likely - that they are indeed drowned earthworms. How they got there though I have no idea, and also how they remained huddled together like that without being washed away is also a bit of a mystery.
Maybe a clod of earth dropped into the water, and the earthworms washed out. They are nestled into a sort of hollow (along with some small stones) - perhaps that;s just somewhere the current likes to deposit stuff?
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
Earthworms can live for about 2 weeks under water, wouldn’t it be unlikely they drowned if the source is so close?
I have a pet Axolotl (Henry) who eats earthworms. When I clean him out I occasionally find an escaped / uneaten worm hiding behind the plants in the tank. They are perfectly fine and either swim off or Henry finds them 🙈.
Look like good old lumbricus terrestris that have met a watery end. ( remember dissecting pickled ones for A level biology ) Could they have just collected at that spot through movement of the water?
Yes, it's looking like drowned earthworms is the answer then, based on the above. Not as exciting as I'd hoped! But glad to know. Thanks to all who have contributed
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Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
It's very plausible based on the above - and looking most likely - that they are indeed drowned earthworms. How they got there though I have no idea, and also how they remained huddled together like that without being washed away is also a bit of a mystery.
Thanks for the replies
I have a pet Axolotl (Henry) who eats earthworms. When I clean him out I occasionally find an escaped / uneaten worm hiding behind the plants in the tank. They are perfectly fine and either swim off or Henry finds them 🙈.
Failure is always an option.