[snip] ... Also, another birder had a Sedge Wren in the small meadow.
David Gersten
Silver Spring, MD
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That was me. Wow - major shocker! Found it in the small meadow SW of Pine Lake (it was wet and is covered in dense vegetation). I walked past the area about 5 minutes before that and was working slowly in hopes of finding a CONW, when I heard it start calling. I thought "that's not a house wren!" and turned toward the sound but it was not in view. After about 10 seconds I saw movement and got on it with the bins. Then it popped up into a dead stalk that jutting out of the dense vegetation, and was perched about a foot above the green vegetation. It was perched for about 30 seconds in full view. I cursed that I left my camera at home today!
It began doing a typical agitated display (flashing its back and tail a lot) and called nearly constantly. I slowly backed away and went to try and get another birder (David) to show them, but when we returned a few minutes later it was not in sight and all was quiet. I pished a couple times but got no response, and after a few minutes we went back to looking at warblers.
It had a pale (not white) eyestripe on buffy brown head, pale throat, sandy breast, and rusty belly and rump; back was light brown and streaked with fine straw, dark brown, and faint white stripes that were perpendicular to the barring on its scaps and wings, and a relatively short tail. Awesome!
Jeff Shenot
Croom Md
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