That garish piece of art-crapaud directly above is actually a map of the Isle of Thanet. Steeped in history, it is (Thanet, not my map). The Romans built a fort at Reculver, and the remains are still visible. St Augustine landed at Cliffsend in 597 to bring Christianity to the Anglo-Saxons. Wellington's armies sailed from Ramsgate to put Old Boney in his place. Benjamin Beale invented the bathing machine at Margate. German Gothas bombed the town in World War I, though unfortunately they failed to level it. Thanet is now better known for its long sandy beaches soaked more by rain than sun, for candyfloss and Kiss-me-Kwik hats, Bank Holiday scooter rallies (though mod-vs-rocker brawls are now a thing of the past) and the annual Broadstairs Folk Festival. It is also a rather good place for seeing birds.
A moment's thought will show why - Thanet isn't much further from mainland Europe than Dover, and it sticks out into the North Sea far enough to attract many a lost migrant. Few birds have insufficient taste to make Thanet their permanent home, but an awful lot can't help blundering through it on their way to better places. Such migrants might turn up almost anywhere, but I've marked what are probably the nine best spots on the map, detailed alphabetically below.
The (*) next to a rarity's name means that I can smugly claim to have seen the bird in question, or at least one of them if there is more than one record.
Of course, there's more to Thanet wildlife than just birds. This brazen hussy was only discovered in Broadstairs in 2000. She (this is a female - the males are small and brown) rejoices in the name of Argiope bruennichi, and is one of Britain's largest spiders.
And if you're visiting Thanet and want to support a local conservation project, why not visit Monkton Nature Reserve, an oasis for wildlife in a sterile desert of cabbage fields. Chalkland flora, butterflies, fossils, amphibians and more in a 16-acre chalkpit with field study centre. Check out their website for access details and opening times.