Help with a bad pic

[Sbruenjes]

I saw this bird this morning at Garret Mountain Reservation in Passaic County, NJ. It was hidden in deep brush, so I couldn't get a good pic. This is the best I got.. Not sure if its an ovenbird, a veery, or maybe a common yellowthroat.. or maybe something else.. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[stitch58]

I vote Swainson's Thrush. Garret usually gets a pretty good amount of them.

[stitch58]

Actually, think I’m going to switch to Hermit Thrush. Hard to tell from the picture but I think the tail is on the reddish side. They’re also pretty common at Garret.

[Charlie Spencer]

Hermit was my first reaction but I've only see two Swainson's, one Wood, and one Veery, so don't go by me. I'd expect a bit darker flanks for Swainson's.

[SirVive]

I'd vote Swainsons but my vote is worth 1/2 of Charlie's. Seems to have a bit of an eye ring and I'm not seeing the tail color difference of a Hermit. I almost only ever see SWTH and that's on the west coast. Most of my checklist entries are 'heard only' by their distinctive calls in heavy cover where you just can see them.

[lonesome55dove]

I'm torn between Veery and Hermit Thrush. My first thought was a Veery, then I looked at a Hermit Thrush, now I'm confused.

For what it's worth, Google Lens suggests Hermit Thrush.

What rules out a Veery?

[Charlie Spencer]

Seems to have a bit of an eye ring.

I'm about to give up on the eye ring as a Swainson's indicator. I swear, half the time I see an photo identified as a Swainson's, the eye ring looks no bigger than on other thrushes. Indeed, if you look at AllAboutBirds for the comparison between Hermit and Swainson's, the eye rings look identical.

But then, vireo legs look gray to me, so what do I know?

[lonesome55dove]

Ha! This morning, Google Lens suggests Veery. I have very little faith in Google Lens, but I have used it as a general idea/starting point of sorts.

Seems to have a bit of an eye ring

The weak eye ring is what made me think of a Veery first. But the overall color seems to be off for one, which made me think of Hermit. I still have no idea which one it is.

Suffice to say, it is a thrush. The spotted thrushes can be a hard group of birds to ID, in my opinion.

[Kansabirdguy]

I’m leaning hermit or Swainson’s but leaning toward hermit

[Hooded Robin]

Another vote for Hermit - the reddish tail is not always obvious and the color of the upperparts is closer to Veery than Swainson's.

[Lonestranger]

, so I couldn't get a good pic. This is the best I got..

It sounds like there are other photos, some of which MIGHT be helpful, even if they are of lesser quality. Different angles/positions might show deciding features.

Edit to emphasize that even slightly different angles could be helpful.

[Sbruenjes]

Here is what I have..

[lonesome55dove]

In doing a bit of research on the area where the bird in question was photographed, I found this information and copied it. It may or may not help with trying to ID this bird.

In Southern Passaic County, NJ, expect to see migrating and breeding thrushes in May, including :

• Wood Thrush: Breeds in deciduous and mixed forests. Known for its incredible flute-like song heard at dusk and dawn.
• Veery: A common nester in forested areas, easily identified by its rich cinnamon-brown plumage and faint breast spots.
• Swainson’s Thrush: A spring migrant passing through the area. Look for their distinct buffy spectacles (pale eye ring extending to the beak).
• Gray-cheeked Thrush: A late-May migrant that passes through New Jersey heading to its far-northern breeding grounds.

• Hermit Thrush is also occasionally spotted, though it mostly breeds in the higher elevations of northern Passaic County.

• Garret Mountain Reservation (Woodland Park): A renowned migratory stopover for thrushes, including Swainson's and Gray-cheeked, which are often active in the underbrush.


Given the above information, can the Hermit Thrush be eliminated as a possibility?

Could Gray-cheeked be a possibility?

[stitch58]

In doing a bit of research on the area where the bird in question was photographed, I found this information and copied it. It may or may not help with trying to ID this bird.

In Southern Passaic County, NJ, expect to see migrating and breeding thrushes in May, including :

• Wood Thrush: Breeds in deciduous and mixed forests. Known for its incredible flute-like song heard at dusk and dawn.
• Veery: A common nester in forested areas, easily identified by its rich cinnamon-brown plumage and faint breast spots.
• Swainson’s Thrush: A spring migrant passing through the area. Look for their distinct buffy spectacles (pale eye ring extending to the beak).
• Gray-cheeked Thrush: A late-May migrant that passes through New Jersey heading to its far-northern breeding grounds.

• Hermit Thrush is also occasionally spotted, though it mostly breeds in the higher elevations of northern Passaic County.

• Garret Mountain Reservation (Woodland Park): A renowned migratory stopover for thrushes, including Swainson's and Gray-cheeked, which are often active in the underbrush.


Given the above information, can the Hermit Thrush be eliminated as a possibility?

Could Gray-cheeked be a possibility?

Not really. Garret is basically my backyard. Hermits are usually the first to arrive & first to leave but it wouldn't be that unusual to have stragglers. They've even over-wintered there. The last picture especially has me considering Gray-cheeked too. They're not the most common there but the timing is right on. To bad there's no pics showing the bird from the front.

[Kansabirdguy]

Too much color in the back and wings for gray checked imo

[Hooded Robin]

"Given the above information, can the Hermit Thrush be eliminated as a possibility?"


According to this specific eBird hotspot (Garret mountain Reservation Park) the thrush observations are:

Wood Thrush - 5200
Hermit Thrush -3600
Swainson's - 3500
Gray-cheeked - 840

It isn't a Wood Thrush and appears too warm for Gray-cheeked. I'm still leaning Hermit (although they have typically moved on by last week of May) but personally I would use "thrush sp." unless someone here can be more definitive.

[Aidan B]

I guess I'll finally weigh in here, but I honestly don't see any reason that this isn't a dull Swainson's Thrush. Though the eyering doesn't seem particularly bright, it's still within range for SWTH, and this bird does appear to have buffy lores. I also feel like the tail color on this bird doesn't contrast enough with the mantle for a Hermit Thrush. Additionally, I'm not seeing any contrast between the primary coverts and the secondary coverts, though I will admit that it's a bit hard to tell and that field mark doesn't work on every subspecies.