Unidentified small birds this morning -- grayish non-striped

A small handful of these birds were hopping around on the patio stones next to the fence this morning. I was in a hurry so didn't have a chance to really examine them and look them up, but I remember them being solid coloured greyish with lighter underside I think, otherwise similar in size and shape to the sparrows.  Junco popped in my head but only because the word has been popping up this fall, not that I know anything about juncos.  They were gone when I got back and didn't come back the rest of the day.