After searching the fields for over 2 hours at Kenilworth Park this morning I was giving up hope of finding anything interesting. At around 10:45, as I cut across the easternmost grasslands to get to the aquatic gardens, I flushed a light-colored kinglet-sized bird that was almost tail-less looking. I got a quick look in my binocs to confirm Sedge Wren. Light buff along the side, boldly streaked back and buff-orange rump on an otherwise very light bird.
I walked toward where the wren landed and immediately flushed a slightly larger bird that flew weakly to a shrub 15 feet away. Thinking "Ammodrammus" because of the weak flight, I slowly approached the bush and saw the bird move, but it stayed concealed. Eventually, laying down on my side in the grass I got a clear view of the bird and was surprised to see a big-billed (light bill color) sparrow with the olive green wash of a Henslow's Sparrow over most of its head and rufous primaries and tertials with big solid black spots on the primaries, coverts, and back. It turned its head towards me and I was able to see a complete white eye ring and a very light almost-white throat.
The location of both sightings was the eastern grassland east of the easternmost soccer field but west of the stadium. Both birds were within about 75 feet of the shrubby edge that backs up on the KAG marsh and about halfway across that peninsula of grassland.
Otherwise, Kenilworth was quieter than last week, although there a number of Pine Siskin fly-overs as well as about 12 siskins feeding in the shrubs mixed in with several goldfinches and house finches (in the same area as the wren and sparrow).
Scott Loss
Washington DC
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