ok you birders..gonna drive you crazy with questions in my new area

[backwoodsbob]

my new feeder has attracted some birds i cant identify.Coastal SC here.

It looks like a common wren...grey head and body,but it has white wingtips and a white belly.

What is it?

[backwoodsbob]

1. ok figured it out

they are wilsons plovers.

This bird shit is complicated

[grasswire]

2. if they would just sit still longer, it would be easier

they're so jumpy!

[progressoid]

4. And sometimes messy...

[GoCubsGo]

6. I don't think so.

Wilson's plovers are shorebirds. Unless you are on a shoreline, you aren't likely going to see them near a feeder. You might be seeing kildeers. They are very common away from water. You won't see them at a feeder, either, unless the feeder is on the ground.

[GoCubsGo]

7. P.S.

This a what a wren looks like. Note the short tail, curved bill and plump, rounded body. Specifically, this is a Carolina wren, our state bird. It's the most common one around here. And, you WILL find those around a feeder, especially suet feeders. Their main food is bugs. And, they sing alot. In fact, they have a bazillion different calls.

[nolabear]

3. Here in the PNW I miss the Southeastern birds.

We don't have cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves, whip-poor wills, many of the lovely ones I know. We're big on drama, though, lots of raptors, water birds, crows, herons. I like it, but I miss me some pretty songs and bright colors.

[Major Nikon]

5. This might help

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1208225

[GoCubsGo]

8. That's probably the best guide for a beginner.

Sibley, Golden and National Geographic also put out excellent field guides to the birds. Peterson's is the best because it points out the specific characteristics used for identifications on the drawings.