some type of thrush? S.E. Massachusetts today (1 Viewer)

[Fmfoxx]

Sorry for the poor quality. Thank you!

Martin in Mansfield

 

[THE_FERN]

Looks like a veery

 

[nartreb]

Agree with veery. Overall cinnamon color, weak chest spots.

 

[Brad Hacker]

Here is the definitive reference:
Lane, D. and A. Jamarillo. (2000a). Field Identification of Hylocichla/Catharus thrushes Part II: Veery and Swainson's Thrush. Birding 32:242-254.

 

[Fmfoxx]

Thank you everybody!!

 

[birdmeister]

I think this one looks more like a Swainson's Thrush with such a bold eye-ring. It looks to me like there's a reddish cast overall to the photo.

 

[Brad Hacker]

Because the ID seems not to be settled…
Diagnostic characteristics are somewhat difficult to see in these photos. It looks to me—particularly in the first photo—like the flank below the wing is white/pale gray, rather than brownish, favoring Veery. The eyering also looks OK to me for some Veery, and—in the second photo—the lack of contrast between the loral and supraloral area favor Veery; in Swainson’s, the loral and supraloral area colors contrast, leading to “spectacles”.

 

[Southern Viking]

Looks like there might be some chest spotting in the first pic, and the eyering looks pretty conspicuous, so I would have gone with Swainson's

 

[Andy Adcock]

Veery for me.

 

[Fmfoxx]

Yeah, sorry for the lame pics. They are the result of a combination of a) extremely bad lighting conditions, b) an uncooperative subject bird, during a 4 second encounter, and c) fairly suspect photography skills of the shooter (me).

 

[Brad Hacker]

Well, we are all familiar with that!