I lean towards Swainson's, but I am not at all sure.
Posted by Toni Lankerd on October 16, 2009 at 9:39 AM
I agree with you, Phil...Swainson's Thrush
Posted by Jim DeWitt on October 16, 2009 at 3:50 PM
Philip -
The absence of a rufous tail, the strong, complete buffy eye ring, and spots extending more than halfway down the chest all point to Swainson's Thrush. The slightly yellowish areas around the lores are also a good indicator, although not as reliable as the other field marks. Swainson's don't usually winter in North America, but I don't know migration patters in Georgia and can't say if the species is still moving south through Georgia or not. BNA is a little vague on migration timing. By contrast, Hermits do winter in Georgia.
So field marks point to Swainson's, but range points to Hermit, but not compellingly.
My vote is Swainson's.
Jim
Posted by Richard Ditch on October 16, 2009 at 9:30 PM
I agree with Jim on all the field marks making this a Swainson's and not a Hermit Thrush.
Regards to timing I looked at the bar charts in the ABA/Lane guide for Florida (I don't have any books for Georgia). Swainson's move through from September 1 until the end of November, with peak numbers from mid SEpt to end Oct. Hermit Thrushes begin showing up at the start of Set but peak numbers occur Nov-Mar. So I don't see any problem in terms of date for this to be a Swianson's.
Discussion
4 repliesThe absence of a rufous tail, the strong, complete buffy eye ring, and spots extending more than halfway down the chest all point to Swainson's Thrush. The slightly yellowish areas around the lores are also a good indicator, although not as reliable as the other field marks. Swainson's don't usually winter in North America, but I don't know migration patters in Georgia and can't say if the species is still moving south through Georgia or not. BNA is a little vague on migration timing. By contrast, Hermits do winter in Georgia.
So field marks point to Swainson's, but range points to Hermit, but not compellingly.
My vote is Swainson's.
Jim
Regards to timing I looked at the bar charts in the ABA/Lane guide for Florida (I don't have any books for Georgia). Swainson's move through from September 1 until the end of November, with peak numbers from mid SEpt to end Oct. Hermit Thrushes begin showing up at the start of Set but peak numbers occur Nov-Mar. So I don't see any problem in terms of date for this to be a Swianson's.