Birding was always one of those things that puzzled me. I sometimes saw guys (it was always guys, I dunno what to tell you) clad in about 30 layers, armed with a camera and a lens that looks like it's designed to make close observations of the moon. Then, they'd walk around for hours listening to birdsong and taking pictures, and when they saw a new species, they were thrilled.
Then I took a picture of a bird and it all made sense.

See, often, photography is a game of preparation. Check the weather, the time, your equipment, any extra tools you'll need, watch a few YouTube videos, read a book or two, and your odds of success are good. Birding is different. Birding requires you to do all of those things, but you might go out and see nothing. The little jolt you get when you see something, even a common hooded crow, like the picture above, is wonderful. When you see that the branches are sitting well, the lighting is good, and the bird looks calm, the lens behaves and the auto-focus locks on instantly. It feels like a series of events that are so improbable, yet when it works, it really works.

The Failed Attempts
When it works, it works, but often it doesn't, especially for a novice photographer like me. There are a few things I've learned from these mistakes, and even after only a few outings, the quality of the photographs increased dramatically.

This was a frustrating shot. The crow had just landed, and I wasn't sure when it would take off again. I took a lot of shots, and at the time, I thought this one was wonderful. It wasn't until I got home and saw that a small branch had cut across my subject. I think an earlier version of myself could ignore it, but now, no chance.

Here, I had been sitting patiently, waiting for my subject to relax a little. He/she/it (I don't know how to identify bird gender) was perfectly in focus and I saw the opportunity for a great portrait. Again, only after I took the photo did I see that my subject was wearing some jewellery, a little bit of grass hanging off its beak. It doesn't ruin the photo, but it's the sort of imperfection that draws the eye away. It's a tiny problem, but often it's the tiny problems that kill you.
My Favourite Shot
Based on what I know about photography, this image is a little muddled. The composition isn't super clear, and I think a lower angle would have been better. All that said, I still love it. There's a kind of peace to it, with every chick submerged, but one. It gives a sense of how busy it feels with all these small birds swimming, but the presence of only one beak makes the star of the show clear.

Next Up for Birding
I got some shots that I'm very happy with, but they don't capture any motion. This is much harder than waiting for a stationary bird. It requires a confident, almost instinctive, understanding of your camera. The next shots will hopefully capture some of the detail of how these amazing animals move and fly.