During our visit to Murrells Inlet, there were some birds that were clearly the stars of the show, like the Egrets and Herons and Pelicans, while others, like a whole host of shore birds, played the role of supporting cast.

So, how about we take a little time to give a shoutout to the less prominent, but still post-worthy birds, that without fanfare or flamboyance, added to the beauty of the trip.

Like this subtly lovely Willet…

…and this Spotted Sandpiper who was foraging for food. First I’ll show you a zoomed in picture…

…and now a zoomed out shot. Thankfully his companion was more interested in sun soaking than Sandpiper snacking!

We also saw Sanderlings scurrying about on the shore, dodging the foamy surf…

…and Greater Yellowlegs gracefully strolling in the marsh.

There were Black-billed Plovers hanging about in abundance.

But I think my favorite was the Ruddy Turnstones, that were darting in and out among the jetty rocks.

Don’t you just love their colors!

These are the kind of birds, who if they had been in a movie, you would have needed to stay til the closing credits to learn their names. In fact, I honestly couldn’t have said for certain what each of their identities was without the help of my “Picture Bird” app – an app that I absolutely love!

Anyway, how about we give this supporting cast a hearty round of applause!