Articles - Stodmarsh

Why?

One of the best wetlands in southern England, with a good range of species that includes reedbed specialities, wildfowl and waders, as well as double-figure counts of Hobby in late May and early June.

Overview

This pleasant circular walk of about three miles overlooks reedbeds and wet pasture and passes through scrub and woodland, with hides at convenient intervals and several loops and detours to add variety. In addition to the expected summer visitors, a small passage of waders towards the end of the month can bring a premature taste of autumn.

Birds

Little and Great Crested Grebes, Little Egret, chance of Spoonbill, Gadwall, Common Teal, Garganey, Shoveler, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Marsh Harrier, Hobby, Water Rail, Northern Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Common Snipe, Redshank, Little Owl, Turtle Dove, Kingfisher, Yellow and Blue-headed Wagtails, Nightingale, Garden, Reed, Sedge, Cetti’s and Grasshopper Warblers, Treecreeper, Bearded Tit, Bullfinch. There may be early passage waders such as Black-tailed Godwit and Green Sandpiper and there’s always the chance of a June rarity.

Where to go

Since the development of the eastern end of the reserve, you can start at either Stodmarsh to the west or Grove Ferry to the east. A very early start at Grove (TR 240630) will give you good views from the ramp in reasonable light. However, starting at the more traditional entry point at Stodmarsh should maximise your chances of woodland species. Check the Kent Ornithological Society’s website for what has been reported recently before deciding.

If you start at Stodmarsh and approach the village along the minor roads from Canterbury, check for Little Owl in the ancient oaks in open pastures, while in more open areas you may find Yellowhammer, a scarce bird in the area.

Turn down the track just after the Red Lion to the reserve car park (TR 221609). It’s worth pausing here to listen for birds and check your route on the information board. The main track to the left (towards the Reedbed Hide) may increase your chance of Nightingale at the first corner, but the path to the right will take you through a well-thinned copse with Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits, Common Chiffchaff and Blackcap, as well as Common Whitethroat in the scrubbier areas. At the end of this path a wooden bridge brings you onto a low embankment where you can turn left towards the car park and then right onto the Lampen Wall (which is actually an embankment), from which there is a view across the reedbeds; turn right to the Marsh Hide, or walk straight on into an alder wood. A quick foray into the alders is worthwhile for more Blackcaps and possibly Garden Warbler, Great Spotted Woodpecker and, with patience, Treecreeper.

Along the path towards the Marsh Hide, the farm to the right often has Little Owl. The trees give way to reedbeds, which harbour Sedge and Reed Warblers and Bearded Tit, and the loud and distinctive song of Cetti’s Warbler should be audible by now. The Stour Valley was the species’ first bridgehead in Britain in the 1970s, but a series of hard winters in the late 1980s extinguished the population here. It has now made a full recovery, and although you may hear more than 30 singing birds on this circuit, if you see 10 per cent of them you will be doing very well.

The range of species visible from the Marsh Hide is largely determined by the water level: if it is high you will probably only see waterfowl such as Shoveler, Gadwall, Common Teal and, with luck, Garganey, whereas a lower level will give you a better chance of Common Snipe, Redshank, Northern Lapwing and possibly Ruff. You can watch hunting Marsh Harriers from the hide, but if you want to follow the mercurial progress of a Hobby, it is best to be outside. By June the numbers of this attractive falcon may reach only half their late May peak, but there should still be 20 or more of them around.

The path continues past the Marsh Hide along the valley towards Grove and through some damp meadows, an area good for groups of Yellow Wagtails that may include a lingering Blue-headed Wagtail. After a narrow footbridge and a metal kissing gate, turn right along a broad track and continue to Harrison’s Drove Hide on the left. This has many of the same birds as can be seen from the Marsh Hide, but you may add Shelduck, Little Ringed Plover or Green Sandpiper to your list. This can be a good spot for Water Rail which, like Cetti’s Warbler, is easy to hear but difficult to see. By June, however, the population should be boosted by young birds that have yet to learn their parents’ secretive habits and can show surprisingly well. Look for them scurrying along at the muddy margins of reedbeds.

Retrace your route from the hide until you can turn right along a broad path towards Grove Ferry and the next hide. The pool it overlooks is one of the better areas to find Tufted Duck and Pochard. From here it’s a short walk to the viewing mound, a great place to scan for raptors such as Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard. There is also a real chance of something more exotic such as a Red Kite. In June, particularly towards the end of the month, wader numbers can start to build up. Small numbers of Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff and Green Sandpiper are regular and oddities like Avocet, Oystercatcher, Little Stint, Spotted Redshank or Greenshank may turn up. Do not neglect the ducks, as this is a good spot to look out for Garganey.

From the mound you can either return to Harrison’s Drove and head right towards the river or cut directly across from the mound towards the River Stour. If you take the latter course watch out for Ring-necked Parakeet, which has taken up residence in the woods beyond the railway line. As you continue along the riverbank, look out for a wetter area of marsh called the ‘ox-bow’, a prime spot for Garganey and possibly also Redshank and Common Snipe. Stay alert on the walk along the river to the Lampen Wall as you may still pick up something as obvious as Little Egret or a much rarer visitor like Spoonbill.

As the path turns away from the river to meander back across the valley, it cuts through wet woodland and scrub. This is a good spot to listen for Garden Warbler, Bullfinch and Turtle Dove. At the Lake Tower Hide you should be able to locate Great Crested Grebe, Common Tern and a good variety of ducks on the main lake. By June Bearded Tits should be very active; listen for their ‘pinging’ call and look carefully for hungry youngsters and their harassed parents in the reeds. If some youngsters are in the narrow reedbed to your right, you may be rewarded with views of the adults flitting at waist height across the Lampen Wall to feed them.

Depending on how often you stop and how long you spend in hides, this circuit can take from a couple of hours to much of the day. As you return towards Canterbury, it is worth stopping on the ridge just beyond the village to scan the valley north towards Collards Lake. This is an excellent spot to see hawking Hobbies and there’s an outside chance of finding a Red-footed Falcon. There is also a large Cormorant colony in the trees edging the lake below.

VISITOR INFORMATION

Sites and access

For Stodmarsh take minor roads signposted off the A257 Canterbury-Sandwich road or from the A28 Canterbury-Thanet road via Fordwich. For Grove continue along the A28 to just past Upstreet and turn right to Grove Ferry. Car parks at both ends of the reserve have toilets. A regular bus service, connecting with rail services at Sturry and Canterbury, runs to Upstreet, from where Grove can be easily reached by foot (see www.stagecoachbus.com). Once on the reserve, there is a good network of paths, with detailed maps on information boards. The nature trail at Stodmarsh and path to the hides at Grove both allow wheelchair access.

Bird news

Check ‘Stour Valley’ at www.kentos.org.uk for almost daily updates, an archive of reports to 2005 and an annotated species list.

Maps

OS maps: Landranger 179 and Explorer 150 (www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk).


View Stour Valley in a larger map

Contacts

County recorder: Don Taylor, 1 Rose Cottages, Old Loose Hill, Loose, Maidstone, Kent ME15 OBN (email: don@collared.free-online.co.uk). Reserve manager: David Feast, Wye Office, Natural England (tel: 01233 812525).

Accommodation

Accommodation is plentiful in Canterbury, Herne Bay and surrounding villages.

Food and drink

There are pubs at each end of the circuit and more options in Canterbury.

First published in Birdwatch June 2007