Sweet cherries are difficult in the East. You probably want either BlackGold or WhiteGold as a cultivar as both work well under Eastern conditions. For Brown Rot you will want to spray with Captan or Indar to keep it at bay. To deal with birds you will want to net the tree or hang bird scare tape. I would look at this thread for good advice on cultivars, rootstocks, spraying and other info.
Peaches also have trouble with brown rot. Few cultivars have resistance. Glohaven, Babygold #5, Harcrest and Elberta have some resistance. In most cases you will need to spray to control brown rot. Here is a thread that discusses protecting peaches from brown rot.