CONYER CREEK

To the west of Faversham, Conyer Creek and the hinterland towards Sittingbourne is one of the last remaining tracts of the once extensive North Kent Marshes to have survived development and agricultural ‘improvement’. It is still possible to walk the route and have the place to yourself, and as a result it has managed to retain an atmosphere of the marshes of yesteryear. Bird-rich habitats along this section of the coastline includes tidal mudflats and creeks, the Swale channel, plus adjacent farmland bisected by drainage ditches, reedbeds and scrub. The route partly follows the Saxon Shore Way coastal footpath and also takes in orchards and paddocks around Tongue Corner and Blacketts. A viewpoint across the Swale towards Elmley Marshes on the Isle of Sheppey is often productive for soaring raptors. Wintering birds hereabouts are often tide-dependent. At low tide, the mudflats attract considerable numbers of shorebirds and wildfowl, particularly Curlew and Dunlin and Brent Geese and Wigeon, while sea ducks and grebes are frequently noted at high tide on the Swale. Raptors can be encountered just about anywhere, while the shingle beach sometimes holds a small flock of Snow Buntings, but, rarely nowadays, Shore Lark and Twite. The farmland can yield Corn Bunting and Tree Sparrow flocks, and don’t forget to check out any feral goose and swan flocks for something rarer in their midst, such as Whitefronted or Bean Geese or a wild swan. Allow all morning to tackle this circular walk and be prepared for scarcities along the way, such as Slavonian Grebe on the Swale and Crane and Great White Egret.