Here’s a bonus challenge for anyone 
Who can help me identify this bird by the sound it makes?!
Seriously… this bird starts going at about 4:30am every.single.day – it wakes me up, which is fine – birds will do what birds do – I’d just like to know what kind of bird is waking me up. I can go outside and hear it, but I can never see it!
That’s a Carolina Wren - little, feisty and LOUD. I love them 
Also, I highly recommend Merlin bird ID. It’s the best for IDing birds by calls, but to be honest, I knew this one without looking it up! My cats will come running from anywhere when they hear one calling like this on my deck 
If you want to see one, bird seed with dried mealworms (mine’s called Nestling Birdseed mix) is one of their favorites!
So related - for Christmas last year, I made the cats a bird feeder watching window. I got a window-mounted cat perch, window-mounted bird feeding, and one-way reflective film that birds can’t see in but cats can see out.
I so identify with your curiosity. I shoot pictures of wildlife and I’m always hearing but not spying the sweethearts. As @Artemisia said, go to the Merlin site. Even when I see them (we have a wide variety here), I’m not sure what I saw. Sometimes the sound and a photo are necessary but ID is often easy on the Merlin site. Here is one I would never identified without Merlin. (It’s Catbird - I never see them - except this time -, just hear them)
Carolina wrens are so noisy! But I love them! They nest in and around our yard and even in the hanging baskets on the patio.
That Merlin bird ID is very useful, especially for when we are traveling and I hear or see a bird that I’m not familiar with.
Thank you, thank you! 
I knew someone would be able to help me! Now that I know what this little dude is, I feel better being woken up by him in the morning 
