I'm just going by my birding book, as I've never seen one of these. But it sure looks like a Winter Wren. They are within your area during breeding time. Really great shots you took.

Thanks, kendra2, that's a possibility. I've never seen one either and they don't seem to be feeder-type birds in general.

My bird book mentions distinct supercilium on the Winter Wren, but I just went deeper into the Birds of North America online site and they mention "superciliary and postocular stripes indistinct" on the juvenile, so maybe this is a youngster. Cute little thing, anyway.

My yard is getting wilder and wilder, and this year I'm seeing Brown Thrashers daily, so it could be that forest birds are getting more comfortable here.

Claire

Great pix, too bad I'm not sure which wren! I don't think winter as the tail looks too long-winter wrens have a real stubby tail. It looks the most like a (wet) Carolina. I hope some experts chime in.
Susan

Thanks, Susan. I tried to find some similar photos of Carolina Wrens in my files but I don't have any from this season that might be juveniles, or after a bath.

This Carolina Wren was on the same winterberry, but the photo was taken on March 20, 2011 so the bird was probably hunched up a bit in the cold, not stretched out and relaxed like the mystery wren in late summer. No barring on the breast.

I do have a photo of a Carolina Wren in the rain on April 22, 2011, but the feathers are all groomed so they repel the raindrops. It probably was also chily.

A puzzlement.

Claire

I'm leaning toward the ID of juvenile Winter Wren because the Carolina Wren coloring is just too different. It could be that the tail looks longer in the first few pics simply because the feathers under the tail and body are wet and slicked down where they would normally be fluffed out.

I really wish someone who actually knows Winter Wrens in the wild would confirm this ID.

Claire

How about oven bird?

That's another possibility, Lexarose, and another bird I've never seen in the flesh (feather?). I just checked various ovenbird references and my bird's back seems browner rather than olive (but it was wet), and my impression was it was smaller than an ovenbird (but that's hard to tell without measuring those branches which are hard to reach). It does have a fairly clear eyering and maybe some crown stripes as well as streaking on the breast (all fluffed up and wet).

Reading about the Ovenbird, they compare it to thrushes and it occurred to me that I sometimes see Hermit Thrushes in the winter when they come for the water bath. Maybe a wet juvenile Hermit Thrush?

These are photos of Hermit Thrushes in my yard in past winters:

Now I'm getting more and more confused. At least I can tell a turkey from a chickadee (I've seen both today).

Claire