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Narrow mouthed whorl snail on the Suffolk coast
Another of AfS experimental boxes, with a double layered roof to prevent overheating, was erected on the south facing gable end of my own bungalow in Church Lane on May 18th 2013. Much to my amazement, I saw a swift enter the box on 12th June, only 25 days later, which resulted in a successful rearing of two chicks.
The following year 2014 I had a camera installed and a television placed in my kitchen so I could observe and record what went on. Much to my delight, the pair returned and reared a further two chicks. This resulted in little work being done and hours of swift viewing. I have been able to record a lot of data and hope to be able to compare notes in 2015. I now have a further three permanent boxes built into the gable end and am hoping to have them occupied in 2015.
Examples of all of these projects can be seen on both the AfS blog and Swift Conservation website http:// actionforswifts.blogspot.co.uk/ and http://www.swift-conservation.org/ Do please come along to our “Swift Festival” on 17th July! We would love to see you and hope the evening will enthuse you all enough to go home and start your own swift colony or at very least put up a swift nest box. John Stimpson from Wilburton will be with us on the evening with a varied selection of bird boxes including swift boxes for sale. We look forward to welcoming you to Worlington.
See p. 23 to find out about the Suffolk Swift Survey >
A series of surveys have been undertaken on the coast of Suffolk to determine any changes in the distribution or population size of Narrow-mouthed whorl snail Vertigo angustior in response to the tidal surge and flooding events of winter 2013/14.
Narrow-mouthed whorl snail is a tiny pulmonate member of the Vertginidae family. This minute snail is a litter-dwelling species found in the UK in marshy habitats with high, stable humidity which may be periodically flooded. In Suffolk, the snail is distributed within coastal habitats such as grassy transition zones along the upper edge of saltmarsh and seawalls, and within coastal grazing marshes. The snail is regarded as threatened across Europe and is protected under the European Habitats Directive (Annex II). The snail is included in the latest Suffolk’s Biodiversity Action Plan Species and Habitats list.
A series of surveys were undertaken in May, November and December 2014 in a selection of coastal locations previously known to support populations of the snail. Using comparable sampling strategies to those used in previous surveys in 2002-2011, several sites on the Deben, Alde-Ore and Blyth Estuaries were surveyed for narrow-mouthed whorl snail using a standard recording technique.
Comparison of the survey results with data from the surveys prior to the flooding events of winter 2013/14, revealed changes in the distribution and density of the snail at the sites over the time period. At two sites on the Deben Estuary, the surveys indicated reductions in population sizes of 60% and 92% from 2010-2014 and similar scale reductions in the area of suitable habitat for the snail.
