What birds are in our garden: Winter Part 2

What birds are in our gardens Winter Edition Part 1

A winter landscape at our townhouse in January 2018 

This is the second part of the series of articles highlighting what birds can be found in domestic gardens or parks during the winter months. This list includes birds that are only found during the winter months but readily visit our homes and bird tables.

The Winter Residents

Field Sparrow in hedge, told by pinkish bill (Nov 2020)

Song Sparrow near the same hedge eating millet (Nov 2020)

Sparrows: Sparrows are the "itty-bitty brown birds" that we see on or near the ground. There are dozens of "sparrows" in our area with all but two (plus the House Sparrow) occurring mainly during the winter in our area. There is no easy way to learn all of the sparrow species although a handful of species will become familiar visitors to our gardens from Halloween to Early May. Most sparrows are smallish or mid-sized birds that come in many shades of brown or grey, and stick close to hedges, copses, brush heaps, or brambles, with only a small handful living within forests. There are also sparrows that live in grasslands, saltmarshes, and in other parts of North America, deserts and tundra. The North American Sparrows are in the family Emberizina which is the same group that includes Eurasian Bunting species like the Lapland Bunting, Yellowhammer, and the Rustic Bunting in Europe. This is not to be confused with the North American Buntings in the group Passerina (like Indigo Bunting or the Northern Cardinal), which are distantly related. The other bird that is referred to as a "sparrow" are in the family Passer and is represented by the introduced House Sparrow, which is from Europe. Regardless of what kind of sparrows are around, all of them like evergreen and deciduous thicket, feed on or near the ground, and will take seeds from bird tables. Seedheads, weed seeds, and other natural food is important for these brown little birds, so look for them in flower gardens as well (especially if you don't cut back stalks until midwinter).

These are House Sparrows, similar-looking but a different family (Washington DC Aug 2019)

Our most familiar sparrows include the White Throated, White Crowned, Song, and Song Sparrows which hang around our back gardens and feeders in large group and are rather tame. The tiny Chipping Sparrow has a red cap and may be seen during the summer if you live in an area with scattered pine trees or open countryside but mainly come from October to March in groups of 50 or more. The Field Sparrow is its larger cousin and is a resident species that likes pastures, hedgerows, and tree plantations. Then we have the Eastern Towhee a black and red sparrow almost the size of a cardinal and unmistakable but hard to find. This bird is year-round but very uncommon and mainly found near old fields, orchards, and may come by during a snowy day. The similarly sized Fox Sparrow is a reddish bird (like a little Brown Thrasher) that is a rather rare treat on snowy days from December to February. House Sparrows look like our native species but can be told by the male's reddish brown backs, black chests, and whitish undersides (the females look similar to Field Sparrows). House Sparrows do not go anywhere and can quickly wear out their welcome when they come in large numbers or decide to takeover your birdhouses. You can feed any of the sparrows with millet, safflower, sunflower, or other seed mixes placed on a low tray, table feeder, or for Chipping Sparrows, in a hanging finch feeder. Keep feeding areas close to shrubs for cover but not too close for cats to hide. 

A Common Junco at our old garden, 2013, (I wish I had a better photo)

Junco: The Junco is a finchlike bird that is related to sparrows and Embrazine Buntings of and is a common sign of winter. These birds are about the size of a Field or House Sparrow and arrive in flocks of a half of dozen or up to hundreds at a time. Juncos are grey on their back with white undersides and tiny white bills, and make a trilling chirp that can sound like sleigh bells to some people. These birds also nest in the Highlands of Appalachia where they are often seen in meadows, open coniferous forests, and along roads (including near Mount Mitchell's visitor center). Juncos arrive from the north in October and are very sporadic. Some years there are hardly any, while in other years there could be everywhere, and rush to bird tables when it snows. Juncos like open areas with trees and are mainly found in the countryside feeding on pastures, roads, or cereal fields, but also visit suburbs, and large grassy areas in cities. They feed mostly on the ground so scatter millet, safflower, or mixed grains on the soil or in a low table feeder. Juncos often come with Chipping or Field Sparrows, Goldfinches, Siskins, Yellow Rumped Warblers, Bluebirds, or woodland birds like Chickadees and love sheltering in evergreens like Common Juniper, Red Cedar, hemlock, or sapling pines.   

Goldfinch female, at window feeder 2019

Siskin and Goldfinch: Another treat we get to enjoy in the winter are Siskins and Goldfinches. These  birds are year-round or even summer residents in most of North America including interior parts of the Carolinas (Siskins breed more in the Appalachians, while Goldfinches are spreading eastward). Both birds arrive in the Cape Fear Region from late September to November and persist sometimes into June. Goldfinches are bright yellow songbirds with the males being brighter during the summer with black caps and wings (almost like canaries). Females are paler and both genders are more greyish in the winter but have golden wing bars. At 10-11cm (4-4.5") long these birds are about the size of a common pet canary (or chickadee-sized) and are told from the larger Pine Warbler by its short conical bill, wing bars, and their twittering calls. The Pine Siskin is the same size and shape except  with a dark grey or brown body with yellowish tones and a grey bill (the Siskin in Europe is very similar). They make a distinct rising  "Bzzhreeee call" but sing like the Goldfinch. Be aware that Indigo Buntings (a summer resident) have similar songs to the two finches. You can host goldfinches and siskins by offering tube feeders of sunflower seeds, millet, or a small black seed known as thistle/Niger seed. Both finches are primarily encountered in the countryside where they gather in hedges, trees, or around sunflower or millet fields by the hundreds or thousands. However they do pack into residential gardens with well-stocked bird tables and like new developments over older wooded gardens. Planting sunflowers, coneflowers, and native thistles can attract them as well.  

Purple Finch at feeder Dec 2018

Purple Finch: Purple Finches are an uncommon and very special guest that is typically comes around Christmas and may linger into February or March. At this rosefinch relative looks like a chunky House Finch that is magenta or cranberry colored with a metallic chip call. However, this finch is noticeably larger and most of its body and wings are red rather than just the head and chest (the streaks are also thicker). The female is heavily spotted and again looks chunkier than the common House Finch we are familiar with. These birds mostly hang out in small groups or pairs in deciduous woodlands, near lakes, or in residential areas and may come to bird tables with or without House Finches. They eat flower and leaf buds, tree seeds, and in northern areas will feed on roadsalt. They will come to tube, table, or ground feeders for sunflower seeds, no-mess mixes, or even safflower and may linger for a few days or stay the enter winter. You probably won't see this finch ever year as their migration movements vary by food availability (movements are called Irruptions). As with House Finches, Goldfinches, Siskins, and sparrows, salt blocks may be a nice addition to a bird table setup.    

Northern Finches: The Northern Finches are the finches that breed in the Boreal Forests of North America (and many cases also occur in Eurasia) but rarely venture much further south than their summer range. For us those finches include the Crossbill, Evening Grosbeak, and Pine Grosbeak, while the Siskin, and Purple Finch can also be tossed into this category. Only the Crossbill occurs in the Carolinas outside of their winter irruptions (abnormal southward migrations due to food shortages). The Red Crossbill may be found in a few spruce, fir, or hemlock forests in Appalachia and may winter around towns and villages in the valleys. This cosmopolitan finch is rather distinctive as it has a large beak that crosses at its tip, and is specalized in prying open conifer cones (esp pine, spruce, or hemlock). Adult are about the size of a large sparrow or a typical Carolina Wren wth males being rosy red, and females being yellowish green. The White Winged Crossbill is similar but does not occur as far south (with a black and white wing). The Pine Grosbeak is a giant finch that is nearly 23cms (9") long, as big as a cardinal, except finch shaped. Males are pink and grey while females have olive heads with no pink. The Evening Grosbeak is essentially a giant goldfinch that is yellow and gold, like a setting sun (females are grey), with a very large white bill. Neither grosbeak is related to the Rose Breasted and Blue Grosbeaks which are related to cardinals. You will not see any of  these finches regularly in our area but during irruptions Crossbills, or one of the Grosbeaks may come further south than usual and occur in sizeable numbers. Up north Evening Grosbeaks love sunflower seeds and are rather common at feeders in New York, Michigan, or the Interior West. The Crossbill rarely comes to feeders, so look for them in pine trees or if you are in their normal range, spruce, fir, or hemlock trees.

Myrtle Warbler male, March 2008 (very good for a point and shoot camera)

Yellow Rumped "Myrtle" Warbler: The Yellow Rumped or Myrtle Warbler is one of the only Parulidae Warblers that winters in most of Eastern North America and like its relative the Pine Warbler, it eats a fair portion of seeds and fruits. These birds are among our most commonly encountered winter birds and come in in Mid-October and persist as late as the end of May, breeding in the Boreal Forests, Rockies, or Appalachian Corridor (though different populations). Myrtle Warblers are sparrow-sized birds (about 14cm or 5.5")  that are greying brown, heavily streaked, and look like Siskin except larger. However, warblers have long thin bills, and this species have yellow on their lower back, sides, and for males, the crown. They also make a "chipping call" not a "Bzhreeee" buzz or canary like twitter. Myrtle Warblers are named because they eat the fruits of Common Bayberry and Wax Myrtles and flock in the thousands along the seacoast or just inland. Since both shrubs are common in landscaping, these warblers are all over the place and can seem like the only thing you see from late October to April. They also like feeding on lawns, croplands, in copses or hedges, or in flower gardens and catch insects, eat weed seeds, or small fruits. Myrtle Warblers are truly hardly little birds and are no afraid of us at all. Like the Pine Warbler, Myrtle Warblers will come to bird tables or feeders for suet, mealworms, lard, kitchen scraps (they love bread), millet, sunflower seeds, and are not shy about coming up to windows. You may get one occasional bird during a snow day or there might be hundreds in your garden. They are known to harass chickadees, siskins, and goldfinches but give way to nuthatches, Pine Warblers, or House Finches. Also look for the similar looking Palm Warbler during this time of year, they are yellowish and feed on the ground (but smaller than a Pine Warbler). They too will come to ground feeders or bird tables for millet, bread, or peanut butter. 

Orange Crowned Warbler: The Orange Crowned Warbler is one of the most overlooked winter residents in our gardens and unlike the Myrtle, Palm, and Pine Warbler, it is not a seed eater or fruit lover. This little bird comes into the Carolinas just after all of the migrants (like Redstarts, Yellow Warblers, Vireos, and such) have come and gone, and the Myrtle Warblers and White Throated Sparrows are settling in. Orange Crowned Warblers are olive to fain yellow, nondescript, and have tiny beaks that are pointy. They are about the same size as the Myrtle Warbler (14cms or 5.5") long and behave like a kinglet or chickadee by hanging from leaves, or hovering in midair. These birds like flowering camellias, azaleas, Coral Honeysuckles, and other winter-flowering shrubs and will  come into dooryards, gardens, and commercial landscapes to feed. They drink nectar, eat small insects and maybe take small fruits and seeds. While these little birds often dash around our garden, follow chickadees around, and even come onto our porches or enter outbuildings, they rarely come to bird tables directly. They might try mealworms, or peanut butter however. 

Ruby Crowned Kinglet, 2013

Kinglets "Crests": Kinglets are among the smallest birds in our area and our two species are a winter resident in most of the Carolinas. Both birds are tiny birds (7.5-9cm 3-3.5" long) that hyperactively move through shrubs, trees, and and other vegetation in their search for insects, spiders, or nectar. They arrive in October and stay with us until May, although the Golden Crowned Kinglet nests in Appalachia as well. In Europe kinglets are known as "Crests" and the Goldcrest is almost identical to our Golden Crowned Kinglet (color, behavior, calls, and habitat) but are now considered separate species. This is our smallest bird by length although it is a little heavier than the Ruby Throated Hummingbird and we have smaller hummingbirds that visit from the west on occasion. Both kinglets are olive green or greyish with white wing bars, thin pointy beaks, and short tails. The main difference between them is that the Golden Crowned has a golden crest and black striped head, while the Ruby Crowned is plain except for singing males (which have a tiny ruby patch). Both birds are very common but are almost always overlooked and even skilled birdwatchers struggle to keep up with them. The Ruby Crowned Kinglet feeds lower to the ground and often visits flowerbeds, hanging planters, hedges, or comes to flowering camellias or other winter shrubs. This bird makes a dry chattering sound and has a rambling song that is gets your attention when males start singing prior to their northward migration in March or April. The Golden Crowned/Goldcrest is almost always in the canopy and prefers pines, baldcypress, spruce, or large oaks. They are best detected by their high pitched "Zheeeee" whistle and are seen in groups of six or more. Both kinglets associate with chickadees and other woodland birds but usually do not come to feeders or tables. I have read of Ruby Crowned Kinglets drinking nectar from hummingbird feeders however. Any garden with shrubs and a few trees will host kinglets and somehow these little birds can stay as far north as Nova Scotia and Southern Alaska.

Treecreepers: Treecreepers are a unique group of woodland birds that are related to nuthatches and are best described as a mix between a wren, nuthatch, and a woodpecker. They occur in most of the Northern Hemisphere with one or two species each per continent, with ours being the Brown Creeper. This species is similar to its European counterpart (and separated only by evolution/genetics) and is a sparrow-sized bird with a brown back, white underside and a long spiked tail. This bird looks like moving treebark and has moves up tree trunks, walls, or other vertical surfaces in a spiralling or zig-zagging fashion. Unlike woodpeckers this bird uses its curved bill to find small insects under bark and when it gets to the top of the tree, it flies down to the next and starts again. Treecreepers arrive from early October and may stay until March though they are year-round in Appalachia. They are uncommon and almost always missed unless you happen upon one, or have a good enough ear to hear the buzzy "Seeeeese" which is buzzier than the kinglet but similar. They mostly live in woodlands, stands of old pines, oaks, or cypresses, but also visit gardens with chickadee, titmouse, or nuthatch flocks. There is usually one or two birds per area and like the White Breasted Nuthatch and Downy/Hairy Woodpecker, it may be a while before the pair gets back around to your garden again. They rarely come to bird tables but are quite approachable and may forage on framed houses, old sheds, or telephone poles.   

A Winter Wren Wikimedia Commons (Creative Commons Link)

Winter Wren: The Winter Wren is another "microbird" that can dwarf our only breeding hummingbird in size. This bird is seen in most of the temperate world though the Eurasian populations might be distinct from our wren, while another population in the Western US and Canada also shows genetic differences (similar to the Goldcrest/Golden Crowned Kinglet). This wren is the least common of the three wrens that commonly visit gardens and is told from the similar looking House Wren by its stubby tail, and short  pointed bill (House Wrens have a longer tail and curved bill). They can be tan, dark grey, or blackish and make a dry chattering noise as they move through forest understory, stonewalls, upturned root balls, and rock piles like a mouse. Winter Wrens eat small insects and spiders and occasionally eat small fruits. It does not come to bird tables like the larger (up to double-sized) Carolina Wren but it may eat mealworms, peanut butter, or suet crumbs on the ground or smeared onto logs. In gardens, look for Winter Wrens near home foundations, shrubbery, brush piles, or in garden sheds (usually within centermeters or inches of the ground). They may overnight in birdhouses, porches, or flowerpots. Winter Wrens come in late October and hang around until March, during the summer you can find these birds reliably in coniferous forests in Appalachia (esp Mount Mitchell or Balsam Cap). When singing, their ethereal medley of twittering, jumbling, and warbles is among the most breathtaking sounds from any bird (up there with the Hermit Thrush, Wood Thrush, Brown Thrasher and Carolina Chickadee's whistle song). 

Red Breasted Nuthatch in our old garden 2012

Red Breasted Nuthatch: The Red Breasted Nuthatch is our third species of nuthatch and as stated on the last article, it is a rather rare treat for our area. This bird can be seen from late September to April  but like the Evening Grosbeak, Siskin, or Crossbill, is mainly an irruptive visitor. Most years these birds rarely make it down to Wilmington and are more likely to be found in the Piedmont and are year-round residents in Appalachia (joining the Junco, Crossbill, Siskin, Golden Crowned Kinglet, and Winter Wren, among other boreal forest specialities). At 10cm or 4" long are smaller than the White Breasted Nuthatch and even most Brown Headed Nuthatches (though marginally) and are hard to miss if they come to a feeder. They have red undersides, silver  backs, and black and white heads and make nasal sounds not unlike a tin horn as well as a trilling chatter (like a Red Squirrel). Aside from their home being spruce, fir, hemlock, or White Pine forests, Red Breasted Nuthatches are very similar to the Brown Headed Nuthatch in behavior and niche. They are usually in pairs or small groups and will mix with Brown Headed and White Breasted and become daily bird table guests through their stay. Feed them the same thing as Brown Headed Nuthatches (peanuts and sunflowers are tops). If you have Longleaf, Loblolly, Pitch, or White Pine in your garden, you should host this nuthatch when they come to your town. Don't be surprised to find this nuthatch in shrubs or small saplings, something that Brown Headed Nuthatches rarely do.

Baltimore Oriole at our window feeder Jan 2019

Baltimore Oriole: To many North American bird lovers, orioles are a summer bird and we say our goodbyes to them when our vireos, hummingbirds, and swallows depart. However, for us in the Carolinas, the Baltimore Oriole is mainly an autumn passage migrant, and a fairly common but localized winterer. In the summer, we have the smaller and reddish colored Orchard Oriole which is very common in pastures, parks, neighborhoods, and urban shade trees from April to July. We can technically see these birds any month of the year as a few linger over the summer, while migrants can be seen in early June or as soon as the end of August. Northern migrants may leave areas like Boston, New York, or Detroit in mid-July. Additionally, their range is expanding and we may soon have these colorful blackbirds serenading from elm or oak trees with its smaller counterpart. In the winter, Orchard Orioles are seen in small groups of 3-10 and like flowering shrubs (camellias and Coral Honeysuckle are favorites), and are more likely to be found in domestic settings like gardens than in woodlands or the countryside. People who routinely provide grape jelly, peanut butter, fruits, or have lots of flowering or fruiting shrubs may host large numbers of orioles. They will also come to bird tables for no-mess seed blends, peanuts, mealworms, sugar water, or table scraps.  

Brown Headed Cowbirds at our old garden, Feb 2013

Blackbirds and Starlings: Blackbirds and starlings are technically a year-round occurrence in the Carolinas with the only exception being the Rusty Blackbird, and the orioles. However, we see the largest numbers of blackbirds and starlings from October to April when flocks can grow into the thousand and pack trees and reedbeds at night. Starlings and Blackbirds are two entirely different birds. The Common Starling is a European species that was introduced into North America in the late 19th Century and is now widespread, although their impacts on native birdlife is not fully understood (though they may compete with hole nesting birds). Starlings are also more closely related to thrushes, Mimids, and waxwings, and are in the same family that includes Myna birds. Blackbirds are part of that "finch complex" which includes Parulidae Warblers, Old World Buntings, Passerina Buntings, Old World Sparrows, and "true" finches. In our area Starlings are localized during the spring and summer and can breed as early as February, and there is a population turnover in late summer (evidence of migrations has also been observed). The Red Winged Blackbird or Redwing as well as the Common Grackle are the same way with a population shift in March and August between our nesting species and the massive winter flocks. However the Cowbird is one that is very nomadic because it is a brood parasite (more on that in another article), and their distribution hard to determine. Regardless of the species, you can see all of these birds in one massive swarm during a winter day with thousands upon thousands of birds descending on lawns, croplands, or even  at grain silos. A flock of Redwings or Grackles can empty your bird table and even your hanging feeders in minutes, while Starlings will devour suet in one or two days if they decide they love your garden. Blackbird flocks are not always a bad thing as these flocks often contain oddities or species like Eastern Meadowlarks, Rusty Blackbirds, or may catch the attention of other bird flocks (i.e. ibis, storks, herons, or cranes if the site is rich in prey). I have no solutions to deal with blackbird flocks other than saying they are temporary and will move on after a day or two, but I do find that corn, milo, and cereal grains are especially attractive to Redwings, Common/Boat Tailed Grackles, or cowbirds. 

Pointers for Flock ID 

Boat Tailed Grackles, note their long tails and large size

A Common Starling at our suet, note triangular wings 

• Common Grackle: Pigeon-sized, long legged, flies with long tail, makes screeching noises

• Redwing: Males are solid black with red and yellow shoulders, about starling-sized. Females look like oversized sparrows with sharp bills  

• Cowbird: Small and sparrowlike, male is black with brown head, finch bill, long, pointed wings and square tail. Just slightly larger than a bluebird  

• Starling: Mid-sized like Redwing but with long pointed bill, long legs, square tail, triangular wings. Flocks move tightly and swirl like a tornado. On the ground they look like plovers. 

• Meadowlark: Basically oversized starlings that are yellowish with brown wings, long pointed bills, makes an electric sounding "Bzeeeet". Mainly in marshes or mown areas  

• Rusty Blackbird: Mid-sized with long tail, spear like bill, yellowish eyes, male are all black, usually on their own or in small groups near wetlands 

• Boat Tailed Grackle: Basically a magpie that is all black (male) or cinnamon brown (female), very long tail, long legs, almost never with other blackbirds, the main bird blackbird of parking lots

American Robin female in hedge of Glossy Privet (with hundreds more), Feb 2013

American Robin: The American Robin is a very large thrush that is among the most widespread birds in North America and is yet another bird named from a unrelated  European species. The closest thing to an American Robin in Europe is the Fieldfare (a rare vagrant that may turn up amongst flocks of robins). This  bird is often associated with spring and summer when it is seen on lawns, or in open woodlands in much of North America, where its whistled or flute-like song is heard during a small window before dawn, and again at nightfall. In the Carolinas this bird can be seen anywhere at any time of year but is mostly a winter visitor along the coast where it is most common from late October to April. In our area, the American Robin is uncommon and localized as a breeder and is more likely to be found in forests or shady gardens or lawns (not two for every house like what you might see in Charlotte or somewhere in suburban New England). In the winter you will notice robins as they are in massive flocks of 500 to several thousand and descend on fruiting shrubs like privet, buckthorn, tallow/popcorn trees, holly, and cherry laurel during January and February (as the birds return north). There is a gap between the swirling winter flocks seen around the New Year, and the one or two pairs that might occupy a deciduous forest or a treed pasture in May or June. Aside from providing fruit bearing shrubs (please plant things like holly, beautyberry, cherry laurel, or persimmon rather than invasive privets, buckthorn, or tallow trees. A flock of robins, starlings or waxwings may carry seeds many miles in their stomaches and start invasive plant infestations in forests, fields, and waterways and new areas. Robins do not visit bird tables although I have seen them eat bread, mealworms, or raisin on snowy days. Pines, and junipers appear important as shelter trees for robins.

Cedar Waxwing, Asheville June 2012

Cedar Waxwing: Cedar Waxwings are another sign of winter with birds coming in right around October, although like many of the birds I mentioned above, they are very unpredictable. Some years these little birds can cloud the skies and strip berry bushes clean in one sitting, while in other years  there are only small bunches of birds (a few hundred at most), or hardly any at all. Waxwings can also be found in the Carolinas at any month and have been heard or seen in the summer and routinely linger until May (with breeding also based on insect or fruit availability). Waxwings eat mainly fruits and tree buds and only come to your garden when something is ripe. As with the American Robin, waxwings peak around January and February when thousands can descend on a neighborhood or woodland for several days at a time. They may come with starlings and blackbirds as well. While waxwings do not come to bird tables, their flocks can paint gardens, houses, and cars in droppings, and may cancel out all but the bravest birds at feeders. However, their stay is short-lived and by the time you get tired of them, the bushes are bear and the flocks disappear. Waxwings are slim, about the size of a typical sparrow (14-15cm 5.5-6") with a silky plumage that is olive with red or yellow tail or wingtips. Their flocks swirl like starlings and the high pitched "Seeeee" whistle can be overpowering. These birds  love drinking and bathing in birdbaths or water features.

Hermit Thrush in hedge, March 2020

Hermit Thrush: The Hermit Thrush is the only woodland thrush that winters in our area and is another bird that breeds in the Boreal Forests from Alaska to Newfoundland as well as along the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains. This bird is way smaller than the Wood Thrush that nests in our forests and parks during the spring and summer with most birds averaging 14cm (5.5") and being slightly smaller than a bluebird or most sparrows. Adults are round and plump  with reddish wings, tails, and backs,  spots  on  the chest, and a robin-like look (I used to call them "Winter Robins"). Hermit Thrushes can be found in virtually any setting and seem to thrive in gardens, dooryards, and commercial landscaping if there are fruits, leaf litter, or lawns nearby. They is almost always one or two thrushes per garden (or every 2-3 gardens in cities) and despite their name they are not shy at all. These thrushes feed on fruits in foundation shrubs or pick fruits from wreath arrangements, feed on insects when we turn over the compost or dig, and will even sing occasionally during the early morning (with an ethereal warble on a harmonic scale). They may visit bird tables for peanuts, suet, mealworms, bread, and other soft foods, or may come to suet, although they are more likely just to feed under a feeder or stick with the fruits and snails in the garden. Planting hedges, evergreen shrubs, and including a brush pile can make a garden good for these "miniature robins in brown". During spring and autumn migration, a garden with fruit-bearing shrubs may also be visited by Veery Thrushes, Swainsons and Grey Cheeked Thrushes which look similar but pass through well-before Hermits arrive and are a little larger (Grey Cheeked Thrushes in fact are closer to the size of a starling or small plover). Without, their songs, thrushes are hard to identify, but know that anything seen after November is almost certainly a Hermit Thrush (99%).