Folkestone and Hythe Birds Tetrad Guide: TR13 F (Redoubt Way and Canal Cutting Outfall) More than three quarters of the tetrad TR13 F is within the sea and most of the interest is generally offshore or provided by the shoreline. The seawall provides good vantage points from which to scan Hythe Bay, where good numbers of Common Scoter, Red- throated Divers, Great Crested Grebes and auks can be found in season and occasionally Scaup, Eider, Velvet Scoter, Goosander, Shag and Great Northern Diver. In colder weather, or during passage periods, these may be joined by dabbling ducks, which have included Pintail and Shoveler, whilst seawatching has produced Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Little Tern and Black Tern. The shoreline regularly attracts Oystercatcher and Turnstone, particularly on the mussel- encrusted walls of the canal cutting outfall, where Purple Sandpiper is increasingly regular and Knot has been recorded. The sandy areas are favoured by Ringed Plover and Sanderling, whilst Common Sandpipers are frequently encountered on passage and Avocet has twice been noted. The farmland inland of the New Beach Holiday Park is prone to flooding and attracts waders such as Curlew, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Jack Snipe, Snipe, Redshank, Green Sandpiper and even Bar-tailed Godwit. Hen and Marsh Harriers, Hobby, Long-eared Owl and Short-eared Owl have also been recorded over the fields, whilst Skylark and Meadow Pipit probably breed and possibly Yellow Wagtail. Phragmites along the ditches and at the extreme southern end of the canal cutting hold Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings, whilst Grey Wagtails may breed within the sluice workings. Eider off the seawall Wheatear on the seawall
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Folkestone and Hythe Birds Tetrad Guide: TR13 F (Redoubt Way and Canal Cutting Outfall)
More than three quarters of the tetrad TR13 F is within the sea and most of the interest is generally offshore or provided by the shoreline. The seawall provides good vantage points from which to scan Hythe Bay, where good numbers of Common Scoter, Red-throated Divers, Great Crested Grebes and auks can be found in season and occasionally Scaup, Eider, Velvet Scoter, Goosander, Shag and Great Northern Diver. In colder weather, or during passage periods, these may be joined by dabbling ducks, which have included Pintail and Shoveler, whilst seawatching has produced Arctic Skua, Little Gull, Little Tern and Black Tern. The shoreline regularly attracts Oystercatcher and Turnstone, particularly on the mussel-encrusted walls of the canal cutting outfall, where Purple Sandpiper is increasingly regular and Knot has been recorded.
The sandy areas are favoured by Ringed Plover and Sanderling, whilst Common Sandpipers are frequently encountered on passage and Avocet has twice been noted. The farmland inland of the New Beach Holiday Park is prone to flooding and attracts waders such as Curlew, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Jack Snipe, Snipe, Redshank, Green Sandpiper and even Bar-tailed Godwit. Hen and Marsh Harriers, Hobby, Long-eared Owl and Short-eared Owl have also been recorded over the fields, whilst Skylark and Meadow Pipit probably breed and possibly Yellow Wagtail. Phragmites along the ditches and at the extreme southern end of the canal cutting hold Reed Warblers and Reed Buntings, whilst Grey Wagtails may breed within the sluice workings.
Eider off the seawall
Wheatear on the seawall
Black Redstart, Wheatear and Rock Pipit have occurred on the seawall on passage, as did a Shore Lark in November 2015, and other birds of interest have included Little Egret, whilst a male Common Redstart was seen in a garden off Redoubt Way in April 2019.
Oystercatchers on the outfall
Ringed Plover on the beach
The canal cutting outfall
Access and Parking Access to the seawall is easiest through TR13 G, where there is limited parking on the seaward side of the road at the sharp bend where the A259 joins the seawall. The farmland can be viewed from Crimond Avenue in the Redoubt Estate. A main bus route runs along the A259.
Farmland inland of the New Beach Holiday Park Other Natural History Brown Hares may sometimes be seen on the farmland inland of the New Beach Holiday Park, though are more regularly observed at the Willop Basin (TR13 A) or from Botolph’s Bridge Road (TR13 G). Both Common and Grey Seals have been noted offshore. A number of insect groups in particular have received very little attention here and there is potential to extend several of the lists that are given below despite the relatively small amount of land present.
General History The Neptune Inn dates from the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century and was formerly two cottages, since combined and now functioning as a pub and restaurant. It is a grade II listed building. The other grade II listed building in the tetrad is the telephone kiosk at the New Beach Holiday Park. It is of the “K8” type, the last in the series of red telephone kiosks, which were designed by Bruce Martin following a competition held by the General Post Office, and introduced from 1968. It displays innovative construction techniques, including its formation from just seven principal components, and was produced at the Lion Foundry. During the 1980s, British Telecom replaced large numbers of K8s with newer kiosks and some of these removed kiosks were then sold on.
Neptune Inn
A number of K8 kiosks have been identified on privately owned holiday parks such as New Beach, possibly ones which were purchased from BT at this time. Although not in its original location, it is a rare survival of this type of once common telephone kiosk, retaining its colour and function as a payphone, though has recently been vandalised and is in quite poor condition at present. It is visible from the main road. For further information see: www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-506882-k8-telephone-kiosk-dymchurch-kent Acknowledgements The map image was produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-map service and is reproduced with kind permission of Ordnance Survey. The photographs of Eider, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover and Wheatear were taken by Brian Harper (www.brizey.co.uk) and all others by Ian Roberts. Lists of the other fauna and flora which have been recorded in the tetrad were kindly provided by the Kent and Medway Biological Records Centre (www.kmbrc.org.uk).
Recorded in breeding survey 2008-2012 – Confirmed breeding
Recorded in breeding survey 2008-2012 – Probable breeding
Recorded in breeding survey 2008-2012 – Possible breeding
Recorded in breeding survey as a non-breeder or recorded outside of survey period
Rare migrant or vagrant (less than 50 area records)
TR13 F - Bird List Breed
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Mute Swan Little Tern
Greylag Goose Black Tern
Canada Goose Common Tern
Brent Goose Sandwich Tern
Shelduck Guillemot
Wigeon Razorbill
Gadwall Feral Pigeon
Teal Stock Dove
Mallard Wood Pigeon
Pintail Collared Dove
Shoveler Cuckoo
Scaup Long-eared Owl
Eider Short-eared Owl
Common Scoter Swift
Velvet Scoter Green Woodpecker
Red-breasted Merganser Great Spotted Woodpecker
Goosander Sky Lark
Pheasant Shore Lark
Red-throated Diver Sand Martin
Great Northern Diver Swallow
Great Crested Grebe House Martin
Gannet Meadow Pipit
Cormorant Rock Pipit
Shag Yellow Wagtail
Little Egret Grey Wagtail
Grey Heron Pied Wagtail
Marsh Harrier Wren
Hen Harrier Dunnock
Sparrowhawk Robin
Kestrel Black Redstart
Hobby Common Redstart
Moorhen Wheatear
Peregrine Blackbird
Oystercatcher Fieldfare
Avocet Song Thrush
Ringed Plover Redwing
Golden Plover Mistle Thrush
Lapwing Reed Warbler
Knot Chiffchaff
Sanderling Blue Tit
TR13 F - Bird List Breed
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Purple Sandpiper Great Tit
Dunlin Magpie
Jack Snipe Jackdaw
Snipe Rook
Bar-tailed Godwit Carrion Crow
Whimbrel Starling
Curlew House Sparrow
Redshank Chaffinch
Green Sandpiper Greenfinch
Common Sandpiper Goldfinch
Turnstone Siskin
Arctic Skua Linnet
Mediterranean Gull Yellowhammer
Little Gull Reed Bunting
Black-headed Gull Total 38 75
Common Gull Confirmed breeding 6
Lesser Black-backed Gull Probable breeding 20
Herring Gull Possible breeding 12
Great Black-backed Gull Total species recorded in tetrad 114
Kittiwake
Species Lists – Other Natural History Information on other natural history has been kindly provided by the Kent and Medway Biological Records Centre (www.kmbrc.org.uk), with particular thanks to Tony Witts. A few additional records from other sources are also included.
Amphibia (Amphibians): 1 species
Common name Scientific name Last recorded
Common Frog Rana temporaria 2004
Reptilia (Reptiles): 1 species
Common name Scientific name Last recorded
Grass Snake Natrix natrix 2004
Mammalia (Mammals): 3 species
Common name Scientific name Last recorded
Brown Hare Lepus europaeus 2017
Grey Seal Halichoerus grypus 2013
Common Seal Phoca vitulina 2014
Lepidoptera (Butterflies): 5 species
Common name Scientific name Last recorded
Large White Pieris brassicae 2010
Small White Pieris rapae 1997
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui 2009
Small Tortoiseshell Aglais urticae 2000
Common Blue Polyommatus icarus 2009
Lepidoptera (Moths): 2 species
Common name Scientific name Last recorded
Mother Shipton Callistege mi 2009
Puss Moth Cerura vinula 1997
Hymenoptera (Wasps, Bees and Ants): 9 species
Common name Scientific name Last recorded
Large Red Tailed Bumble Bee Bombus lapidaries 2001
