Sounds to me like a Marsh Wren.

Gene Hunn.

On Tue, 19 Dec 1995, Scott Richardson wrote:

> 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
>
>