Hi Carol,
I can't tell you what your critters are for sure, but I can tell you that
mites come in a considerable range of colors - tan, brown, black, yellowish,
bright red, and probably other hues.  Generally mites are faster moving than
ticks, even though they are usually much smaller.  Mites RUN (except for some
truly parasitic forms, which can hardly move at all - and those forms don't
leave their hosts' bodies), while ticks generally CRAWL rather slowly.  Most
mites are not much over 2 mm, and some are considerably smaller.  Most ticks
are larger than that, though some of the smaller ones, like deer ticks, can be
close to mite size.  As for bird ticks, I am not really familiar with them.
Hope that helps.
Paul M.