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..