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Oare Marshes KWT Reserve INTRODUCTION The
Kent Wildlife Trust's Oare Marshes Nature Reserve consists of some
67 hectares (170 acres) of grazing marsh, dissected by fresh and brackish water
dykes and bounded by an earth seawall and some salt marsh. The KWT purchased all
the land above mean high water, including the saltings in 1983. The mudflats
below mean high water are not part of the reserve. Originally the area was
extensive saltmarsh with tidal creeks. However, the building of the present
seawall, following the severe floods of 1953, effectively excluded the sea and
resulted in a transition from tidal salt marsh to largely fresh water grazing
marsh. Dykes were excavated to drain the marsh and surrounding farmland and any
surplus water drains into the sea via a large sluice in the south east corner of
the reserve. During the 19th century and until just after the first World War
part of the land was used as an ammunition works and the bases spaced at regular
intervals over the western half of the reserve are a legacy of this former use.
The Watch House adjacent to the road was originally a boat house with a viewing
platform in the roof overlooking the Swale sea channel and the Harty ferry
formerly ran between here and the Isle of Sheppey. A small local fishing
community remain active in the area. Oare Marshes Nature Reserve is part of The Swale Site of Special
Scientific Interest designated by the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) and is
also registered as an internationally important wetland under the 1973 Ramsar
Convention. The marshes remain agriculturally unimproved and provide pasture
for cattle and sheep. The purchase by the KWT was supported with grant aid from NCC, World
Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the National Heritage Memorial Fund. The H J Heinz
Company through WWF have also sponsored the reserve management. THE
RESERVE Natural
History
The reserve is of significance primarily because it is traditional
grazing marsh, a habitat that has been decreasing in North Kent in recent times
through drainage and reclamation. Grazing marsh of differing sward height
attracts a variety of wetland birds. The plants are typical of grazing marsh,
and include some of the more unusual clover species. At present the reserve is richest in bird species in spring and autumn
when a variety of waders and wildfowl use the marsh. These include teal,
gadwall, shoveler, greenshank, black-tailed godwit, whimbrel and various
sandpipers. In summer reed-bunting, reed and sedge warbler, coot, moorhen, mallard
and shoveler are common breeding species along the reed-lined dykes, with waders
such as lapwing, redshank and oystercatcher breeding on the marshes. Little
grebe, shoveler and snipe also breed in small numbers. Little tern and common
tern may be frequently seen foraging along the open dykes and in Faversham
Creek. Over winter snipe, redshank, curlew and large numbers of duck frequent
the marshes. Jack snipe, water rail, bittern, merlin, hen harrier and peregrine
falcon also use the marshes over winter, but are less freqently seen. Short-eared
owl is resident during the autumn to spring months with as many as six in some
years. Kingfisher and grey heron may be seen throughout the year fishing along
the dykes. The flora of the dykes is of particular interest. Common reed, lesser
reedmace, great water dock, frogbit and lesser water‑parsnip can all be
found. All the common salt marsh plants are represented in the saltings
including species such as sea purslane, sea lavender and golden samphire with
the aromatic sea wormweed and sea beet along the sea wall. Unfortunately the vigorous hybrid cord grass, (Spartina anglicaJ has
become dominant to the exclusion of many native salt marsh plants, especially in
the area to the west of Harty Ferry. A reed bed has established itself over the wetter areas of the eastern
section due to the constant fresh water input from the artesian well. Adjacent
to this, sea club-rush becomes dominant which indicates the changing conditions
caused by salt water flowing through the sea sluice at high tide. Management
The principle objectives of physical management are to maintain high
water levels and a variety of sward heights. Water levels and distribution are
controlled by a series of dykes, dams, sluices and earth bunds or embankments. A
scrape has been dug to retain open water to attract waders and wildfowl and a
hide constructed which overlooks this area. Much of the fresh water on the eastern section of the reserve is
supplied by the artesian well near the car park. The western half relies upon
water draining from neighbouring land. The reserve's extensive dyke system is managed to maintain a range of
habitat from open water to mature stands of reed and rush, thereby supporting a
greater diversity of aquatic plants and animals. The dykes are to be dredged on
a staggered sequence approximately every 5 to 7 years to maintain this variety. Plant species diversity over the marshes is encouraged by sheep and
cattle grazing. Adjusting the grazing pressure in different compartments
produces a range of grassland structure from closely cropped sward with a mosaic
of tussocks to ungrazed reed bed. The North Kent marshes have traditionally been extensively grazed
providing the habitat most favoured by breeding waders and by winter feeding
wildfowl such as wigeon, brent and white‑fronted geese. The maintenance of
lightly grazed and ungrazed areas provides an attraction to species such as
shorteared owl, various harriers and bittern. No shooting is permitted on the
reserve. Location
From
Faversham go through Oare village and turn right to Harty Ferry at the ‘Three
Mariners’ pub. Continue to the south bank of the Swale estuary and park
opposite the Visitor Centre. Arriva
Bus 333 from Maidstone, Sittingbourne and Faversham to village of Oare. One mile
walk to the reserve Acce
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