Two Bridges

Royal Military Canal - overcast, mild, se 3 - We decided it was high time for a change of scene, so drove the back lanes across the Marsh to the Dowels where the flatlands abut the Low Weald and the impact of modern agriculture is less intense. We walked our favourite section of the Royal Military Canal between the two bridges of Kennardington and Warehorne. The north side is probably of more interest to the naturalist with a riot of riparian bankside habitat beside the cut and in a smaller secondary ditch (good for damselflies and Marsh Frogs), plus mature ash trees with marginal hawthorn and sallow scrub and views across the distant woodland canopy of the Orlestone forest. The southern bank is more open overlooking rough grazing, broad hawthorn hedges (Turtle Doves and Yellowhammers), patches of marsh and vistas along the bend in the canal.
  Despite the breezy weather Turtle Doves were in good voice with four different birds `purring` from thickets throughout the walk, alongside the same number of singing Yellowhammers, both species I rarely encounter down on the coast. Along the canal a pair of Grey Wagtails were feeding fledged young underneath the railway bridge and a Kingfisher zipped towards Hamstreet from Warehorne bridge. We also noted a decent variety of wayside birds including: a Cuckoo, several Stock Doves, singing Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Cetti`s and Reed Warblers, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Whitethroat, Pied Wagtail, Song and Mistle Thrush, Treecreeper, Long-tailed Tit, Bullfinch, Linnet, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Reed Bunting. Elsewhere across the Marsh a few Yellow Wagtails, Corn Buntings present in the usual spot near Lydd, while raptors seen through the morning included Hobby, Buzzard, Marsh Harrier and Kestrel.

                                Kennardington section looking north

     

                                Halfway sluice

                                Warehorne church

                                Royal Military Canal

                                Pied Wagtail, Warehorne


  This afternoon a check of the Patch revealed about 50 Common Terns on the beach and over the boil (one of which was a 1st year bird) and two Mediterranean Gulls amongst 100 large gulls, but there was no sign of this morning Roseate Tern. Several passing Sandwich Terns were the first I`ve encountered for a while.