Jeannette and I had a great day on Tuesday. For one thing, it was dry! For another, the birding was quite good. While the "mostly sunny" day never materialized # it stayed cloudy for almost all of the day # we did not see any rain for a change, and that was most welcome.

We began at the Kennebunk Plains, where we enjoyed the full suite of expected species, including 5 Grasshopper Sparrows (including a few particularly excellent looks) and one Upland Sandpiper. Juveniles, especially Field Sparrows, were plentiful, but I am sure we would have seen even more birds if we hadn't spent so much time bent over feasting on blueberries!

Our next stop was the Sanford Sewerage facility. All of the rain has filled up most of the ponds here, so muddy edges # and therefore shorebirds # were very limited. 7 Least Sandpipers, 2 Pectoral Sandpipers (my first of the fall), 4 Killdeer, and 1 Spotted Sandpiper was all; there are usually hundreds of shorebirds here at this season. The swallow show, however, is progressing nicely, with at least 300 Tree, 6 Barn, 5 Bank, and one Cliff present here today, swirling about over the settling ponds, and alighting now and again.

Then, it was on to the Sanford Groundwater Protection Area. The shorebird habitat looked very good # lots of sandy margins # but only 5 Least and 3 Spotted Sandpipers were present today. Maybe the habitat # a recently-excavated hole in a sandpit # is too young to support enough food? Regardless, this place still has that "good bird" feel to me, so I will make it a regular stop when I am in this neck of the woods.

Next on the route was the Winding Brook Turf Farm. It's a bit early for the uncommon "grasspipers," but we did have another two Pectoral Sandpipers here today, along with 8 Least Sandpipers, and a goodly 51 Killdeer. Plus, a Solitary Sandpiper alighted in a puddle - my first of the fall. Sod farms make excellent shorebird habitat, especially with all of the rain that we have been having. I just wish the sod farm up in New Gloucester was still in existence!

Our final stop on the day was in South Portland, on the way home. I was following up on a report of a possible Eurasian Collared-Dove that was briefly observed at a feeder. We spent about 45 minutes wandering the neighborhood, both by foot and car, checking feeders, powerlines, and flocks of Mourning Doves. No Collared-Dove today, but the state's first documented record of this rapidly expanding, non-native species cannot be too far off! The rest of the afternoon was spent in the yard, working on some of the projects that I have been putting off due to the incessantly wet weather.

But, by Wednesday morning, the rains had returned. Happily, my stroll at Hedgehog Mountain Park fell between showers for a change. A calling Carolina Wren was a welcome addition to my patch list - #132. Meanwhile, I briefly heard a call from a small cluster of cattails that have gained a foothold in the bottom of the sandpit near the blueberry barrens that was probably a Marsh Wren. I just couldn't confirm it, which is unfortunate, as this would have been yet another patch bird! Post-breeding dispersal is in full swing. Also, I flushed a Ruffed Grouse in the woods, which I believe is the first one I've had here in at least a year.

But now, another upper level low-pressure system is spinning overhead, producing more heavy rain for today. Once again, it is going to park itself just to our north, spinning disturbance after disturbance in our direction. And, I recently read a prediction that this pattern will likely last at least another 2 weeks! Ugh! Believe it or not, we have already eclipsed the average rainfall for Portland for the entire month, and it's only August 6th!