The Ecology of Mess
Bare mud at a lake's edge is not a sign of neglect. It is foraging habitat. Waders such as the common sandpiper and little ringed plover work the exposed margins for invertebrates buried a centimetre or two down, and they need soft, uncompacted ground to do it. A concrete promenade or a mown grass slope to the waterline removes that layer entirely. The birds move on before a visitor has unzipped their binocular case.
