Subject: Unusual bird at Ocean Shores?
Date: Dec 19 09:56:24 1995
From: Scott Richardson - salix at isomedia.com


Saturday at the Grays Harbor CBC, Area 1, one bird stumped seven
observers. The mystery bird is described below. Here's what happened:
We were walking across Damon Point (aka Catala Spit), spread out to
search for longspurs, buntings, larks, and the like. This area, for those
unfamiliar with it, is a broad, stabilized sand dune mostly covered with
European beachgrass. Here and there are patches of relatively bare ground
(sand and shell mix). The area where these events took place was devoid of
trees or shrubs.
I flushed a small, dark bird when I approached a certain patch of grass.
Flash thought: Song Sparrow. Its rapid, low flight away from me was brief.
It dropped quickly into a grass patch near another observer. When I
suggested Song Sparrow, he said "Too small" and I agreed. So we proceeded to
approach the tuft of grass where the bird had disappeared. We got within a
few feet without seeing the bird, then it flushed again, making a short
flight to another patch of grass.
By this time, the rest of our group had joined us. Those that had seen
it also agreed that, although this was a small, dark brown bird with a
flight reminiscent of Song Sparrow, that was not the species. Unfortunately,
nobody had a better idea, so we followed the bird.
And it led us. It's a little embarrassing to admit how often we crept
within a few feet of this cleverly hidden bird, only to see it zoom out of
the opposite side of a grass clump and into another so quickly that no
binocular could get to it. For the most part our views were of a dark bird
zipping over a dark background (under dark-cloud skies) before disappearing.
Its travel distances were consistenty short; it flew anywhere from 10 feet
to about 30 feet.
After repeated flushings, the lucky critter finally evaded us. And
because we were in the midst of the CBC, we couldn't stick with it anymore.

Description:
Smaller than a Song Sparrow and larger than a Winter Wren. About 5".
Dark brown above, particularly in wings and tail. On its back, a patch or
patches of a lighter, redder brown...rufous or rusty, perhaps. Breast and
belly probably whitish or pale brown, possibly with rufous tones in flanks.
Unknown whether streaked or spotted. Buffy undertail coverts? Tail entirely
dark brown (that is, no pale tips, no white edges) and proportionately
short. There may have been a whitish eye line of some kind. Bill probably
slender, slightly decurved, and possibly yellow or paler at the base.

It never called.

When I check books, my eyes catch on the genus _Seiurus_.

Suggestions? Anyone going out to Damon Point soon?
------------------------
Scott Richardson
NE Seattle
salix at isomedia.com