WA R EHOR NE
A rich mix of birds on the margins of Romney Marsh
This is one of my favourite spring-time walks as a wide range of resident birds are almost guaranteed, alongside laggard winter visitors and harbingers of spring. It is a quiet and scenic location where the flatlands of Romney Marsh are dramatically separated from the rolling hills of the Low Weald by the Royal Military Canal, a broad defensive ditch and relic from the Napoleonic era. Between Kennardington and Warehorne bridges the canal meanders beside reclaimed sheepgrazed marshland to the south and the sloping arable lands abutting the Wealden woods to the north. The marginal strip of land either side of the canal with its tangle of hedgerows, scrub and marshy patches is a noted migrant route as birds follow the line of hills. Redstart and Ring Ouzel may be encountered among the more numerous warblers and hirundines, while the canal waters are popular with egrets, Kingfisher and Grey Wagtail. From mid-morning keep a watchful eye for thermaling Red Kites and Buzzards. On the farmland section search for Little Owls in ancient ash and willow trees. Small parties of migrant Yellow Wagtails and Wheatears are sometimes grounded among the sheep folds, while Mediterranean Gulls are often found in gull flocks. The bird feeders by the church is a notable local hot spot for Tree Sparrow. This is the perfect walk to take along a well behaved canine companion and if you pay a visit during the week, the chances are you’ll have the place to yourself.