Hi All (particularly thrush-ophiles)
The discussion so far has sent me searching the literature. Let me
summarize, mostly from Campbell, Birds of BC, v.3; although I have also
checked Godfrey (Birds of Canada) and Cannings (Birds of the Okanagan),
Kaufman (Lives of NA Birds).

Veery
Found nesting between 105m and 1050m elevation, with 80% of the observed
nests below 650m. Predominantly, the Veery inhabits shady, riparian
woodlands with a dense understorey.
Nests are generally found near or on the ground in shrubs or thickets or in
dense vegetation or leaves. Most (63%) were situated in shrub thickets. The
heights from the ground ranged from ground level to 3m, with 57% between 0.1
and 1.2m.

Swainson's Thrush
On the coast the nests are found from sea level to about 930m elevation. In
the interior it ranges from valley bottoms to 1850m. Mixed forest was the
most frequently reported nesting habitat class (39%), followed by deciduous
stands (17%) and coniferous stands (17%). Most nests were in trees (30% in
deciduous and 24% in conifers). Shrub and brush tangles accounted for 38%.
The heights of the nests were from ground level to 24m, with 60% between 1
and 2 m.

Hermit Thrush
Breeds from sea level to 1500m elevation on the coast and from 435 to 2200m
in the interior. During the breeding season this thrush occupies a wide
variety of forest types, but prefers areas with dense shrub understorey.
Most nests (64%) were found in trees including snags or tree roots.
Coniferous trees (42%) were preferred over deciduous trees (8%).
The heights ranged from ground level to 6m, with 57% between 0.3 and 1.5m.

For me, the next question was how does the Varied Thrush fits into this
picture. On the coast it nests from sea level to at least 1500m elevation;
in the interior it nests from 420 to 1860m elevation. Most nesting occurs in
coniferous forest (78%), mixed forest (11%) and deciduous forest (6%). Nests
are in trees, including coniferous (46%) and deciduous (35%).
The heights ranged from ground level to 11m, with 60% between 2 and 4m.

For me, the Varied Thrush, Veery, and Hermit Thrush appear to have more
defined habitat requirements; whereas the Swainson's Thrush appears to be
occupy a broader range of habitats.

Sorry this got so long
Cheers
Gail Spitler
Johnsons Landing, BC
spitler at wkpowerlink.com