Denizens of the compost bin

An active compost bin is evidently an attractive place if you are a worm! Over the last few days there has been something of a population explosion in my compost bins. They are just teeming with worms:

Such huge numbers of worms make light work of our kitchen scraps and garden trimmings, converting them rapidly into a dark, crumbly, nutrient-rich compost. The trouble is, the presence of worms attracts predators. Almost every night something (Fox? Badger?) tries to get into the compost bins by tunnelling underneath, shovelling earth hither and thither in the process:

However, very close inspection reveals that these are not eggs at all – unless eggs have legs, that is:

Enquiries on Facebook and on the UK Veg Gardeners’ forum identified them as “Oribatid Turtle Mites” aka “Brown Mites”, beneficial creatures that play a significant part in breaking down organic matter to make compost.