After thinking about it for a week – and trying to find the time – I finally made a run down to Sanford this morning to look for the Eared Grebe that Lysle found there (he’s on a roll!) last week at the Sanford Sewerage facility.

Ah yes, sewage treatment plants, just the wonderful type of effervescently and aesthetically pleasing locals that birders often find themselves at. The Sanford Sewerage facility is well known among birders, as a great spot for shorebirds and waterfowl. Plus, they have always been welcoming to birders.

OK, the place actually looks quite nice - just hold you nose and don't look down into the water!

After a year (or has it been two?) of construction, the facility is open again, and it’s prime time for shorebirds. And, the shorebird numbers and diversity have been quite good recently. With the pursuit of the Eared Grebe and the opportunity to study shorebirds, I ventured down to this odoriferous location this morning.

After successfully twitching (chasing) quite a few birds in a row, I was due for a “dip” (miss). Unfortunately, that dip came today. No Eared Grebe for me, despite much searching – I walked every inch of dike, including the entire perimeter, hoping to find it tucked into the grass somewhere, but no luck. I did, however, thorough enjoy close studies of a juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper and a juvenile Wilson’s Phalarope.

Overall, shorebird numbers were lower than others have reported of late, but I did see 11 species in all. 14 Solitary Sandpipers was a very good count of this usually rather solitary species. 13 Blue-winged Teal, 4 Green-winged Teal, and 5 Wood Ducks were present – along with 5 Mallards and one lonely Canada Goose. 2 Little Blue Herons were present, a species that is rather rare inland in Maine, as was my first American Pipit of the fall. But, no Grebe.

Then, as I rounded the very last corner of the perimeter dike, I spy the tell-tale sign of a grebe – now you see it, now you don’t – as the stealthfully slink underwater, barely producing a ripple (hence the nickname of “Water Witch”). With excitement – maybe I wasn’t going to dip after all – I readied the scope for it’s reappearance. When it finally did surface, I noticed the short, thick and stubby bill and the warm brownish plumage of a Pied-billed Grebe. Right family anyway.

Not ready to give up without a fight, I set off to explore the area, looking for bodies of water that could hold an Eared Grebe. I noticed ducks, and some shorebirds, coming and going from the north of the sewerage works, so I began in that direction.

I happened upon the “Sanford Groundwater Protection Area,” a small lake in what looked like a restored sand pit. I got my hopes up when I found 37 Green-winged Teal loafing on a small island, but unfortunately, that was all I saw. It turned out that I could only scope a small portion of the water through trees from the edge of the road, and the perimeter was clearly marked as no trespassing.

I then wandered around Estes Lake, and found few viewpoints of the water, and no birds at those viewpoints. So, I packed it in, and headed back, taking a different route home: Rte 111 through Alfred.

I was torn between heading back south to Sanford for an early lunch at Flo’s Hot Dogs (I noticed their new location earlier this morning), but decided I would not backtrack. I was rewarded by this decision when I happened upon the Winding Brook Turf sod farm in Lyman. I received permission to bird the property, and in the last sod field I found an amazing FOUR Buff-breasted Sandpipers. (Funny how just 3 days ago this was a nemesis bird, and now I have seen SEVEN of them!). Plus: 2 American Golden-Plovers, my first of the fall, along with a good count of 85 Killdeer. What a find! Add this place to the list!

(By the way, I did receive permission to pass on the sightings to other birders, who are welcome to visit. However, you need to CALL FIRST. Call our store (207-846-8002) and I’ll give you the scoop and contact info)