Hey, guess what? It’s raining again! Well, at least we saw a few rays of sunshine yesterday!

Waking to dense fog, I scrapped plans to head to Biddeford Pool, and instead headed inland, up the Androscoggin River towards L-A. While the fog was in fact thinner here, it – contrary to weather forecasts and even “current conditions” – it was already raining. Oh well, no point in going back to bed now!

I began in the drizzle at the Auburn Riverwalk. I thought this sight might hold potential for a late-lingering flycatcher, or even a vagrant. The closest I cam however, was a European Starling doing a PERFECT Eastern Phoebe imitation.

The next stop was Riverside Cemetery in Lewiston. This is one of those locales that I have been meaning to get to for a while now, but I finally made my first stop today in the light rain and fog. There wasn’t much around today, not unexpectedly, but the place looks very good – a nice long, wooded perimeter and riparian edge should be great in migration. Add this to the “need to check in season” roster.

A little exploratory driving (while the rain was falling harder) in Turner, especially Upper Street, failed to produce the hoped-for large flocks of gulls (just a few handfuls of Ring-billed and Herring) or geese (only 2 Canada Geese).

I then decided to take my first exploratory visit to Lake Auburn. The fog had lifted enough to see a few things in the lake, as I checked out a handful of good vantage points: 7 Common Loons, 5 Horned Grebes, 5 Common Goldeneyes, and one Common Merganser. Prime viewing sites were marked on the ol’ Delorme, and also added to the list of places to check on a better day.

So, as you can seem, some day’s birding outings can be more about what you’ll find NEXT time, then what you found THIS time. And, the more I poke around Androscoggin County, the more interested I become in further poking around the county. Since I can get to Auburn in less time than it takes me to get to most locations in Portland, I feel that I should be spending more time in this area.

The habitats certainly seem to signal that the birding should be good, but I have very little data – aside from the frequently visited (and deservedly so) Sabattus Pond, I almost never see reports from anywhere in the county. Are flocks of Snow Buntings and Lapland Longspurs moving through the farm fields of Durham and Turner? Are there Grasshopper Sparrows breeding somewhere? What about the river itself - and good marshes along its banks or prime open space in the winter? There’s lots of ponds and lakes – how’s the duck-watching? Public space is limited in the county, so are any of the side roads worth walking? Are winter finches regular in any spots? Any old orchards for Bohemian Waxwings in winter? How’s the feeder-watching?

So, with these questions and more, I formulate the plan for further exploration of Androscoggin County. I’d appreciate any advice, suggestions, etc. The Stanton Bird Club’s website has some good information, including a detailed bird list of Thorncrag Sanctuary, and a brief birding site guide, but I’m sure other folks have more information to add. I know there’s at least one of you who reads this blog and birds Riverside Cemetery – so I expect some input! Look forward to hearing from you!

(But based on the current forecast, tomorrow morning’s explorations may be limited to the back of my eyelids!)