I enjoyed the video this lesson  and went out and tried to capture some birds in flight.  Here are a few. I think the Kinglet looks like a tiny football!

Uh-oh, here's my Brown Pelican in flight. Melissa warned against shots with the bird's bill merging visually with the wing, and here the bill is right in front of the wing. It is visually distinct, though, and it has more dynamism than the other 50 photos I took. Next are the sandhill cranes, my attempt at panning in flight. I only had a few chances with this pair, and the speed here was 1/200 sec, not a deep pan of 1/30 sec. So the background isn't as streaked as it ought to be, and the wings are in the pancake position. Oh well, the birds look good and I like it anyway. Lastly, there's this osprey named Rachel, and she's not a happy bird, because a certified bird bander has got her young'uns. He gave them back a few minutes later, with jewelry attached. I didn't use a fast enough shutter speed here, but hey, it was before I took this course!

I find that I was just really trying to be patient, but other birds could be distracting. Photographing the great blue heron was a shot I was waiting for. I wasn't to happy that I was to far away I could of had better detail. I have to learn my settings on my camera a little better.

It's not easy! I have winter photo's of Short-eared Owls and Northern Harriers. I'm positioned with the sun at my back, but these Owls typically come out late in the afternoon, so the "window for sunshine" is short. With the sun still out, and at a shutter speed in the range of 2,000 to 2,500, I have gotten decent shots, IF, I can also "lead" the bird successfully with my camera. I choose a small area focus, as a point focus is too difficult for me to be successful. Perhaps my best shot was of three White Pelicans taking off.  I had a speed of 5,000 set for that shot.

Aun no tengo una cámara profesional, estoy practicando con una cámara básica canon, es complicado poder captar una fotografía de aves en vuelo ,sin embrago seguiremos intentando. les comparto mi primer intento

I think the 1/1250 shutter speed was key to make this image of a Neotropic Cormorant taking off work.   The sharpness of the water behind adds to the feeling of capturing a single moment.  The Great Blue Heron was just nicely lit by the evening sun.

I've always liked this shot I took before taking this course of a flying western meadowlark. I now see that it has some of the elements Melissa says are characteristic of "classic" photos of birds in flight: creamy bands of color in the background, distinctly up wing position, and plenty of space for the bird to fly into. Looks like it may have been back or side lit? Looking forward to trying to get sharper focus, catch light on the eye, working with the sun and wind behind me, and trying to capture interesting behaviors. I like the stoic "stillness" of this shot but will be fun to explore different creative approaches and trying to capture more dynamic images too.

Some more...

Here are some which I clicked before taking this course. I am sure I will improve a lot and my next batch will have stunning flight photos. The Red-rumped Swallow was and is most difficult for me because of its highly unpredictable flight

Making decisions about and changing settings quickly is very difficult for me. I'm too worried that I will miss the shot even recognizing that studying the bird behavior, the shot will likely make itself available again. As a recent convert to DSLR from bridge, I have tried to carefully select the settings best for birding from a variety of sources, including here, and maintain them in a spreadsheet then use the capability of the camera to store those settings allowing me to shift between them as a group. For example, yesterday while photographing Sandhill Cranes individually, a group flew overhead that I wanted capture. There wasn't enough time to consider focus points, background, etc., in the quick change. And I need a longer lens. I do believe that as you have said, practice will make a difference in my skill level, confidence, and patience. These pictures help you see the transition difficulties I describe.

I find flocks challenging and rewarding.  This was a flock of common redpolls on a vacant lot. Overcast with a bit of snow.  Freezing the action does not permit much depth of field, but less speed resulted in blur. The birds move often and together.  Using the car as a hide, I watched and shot for 45 minutes. The flight pattern is probably meant to throw off predators, but is also makes it difficult to take a comprehensive shot.  The first photo was typical. The second and third shots were lucky as such opportunities were fleeting. Taken with 400 mm at  1/2000 sec using ISO 5000.

Practicing!  

Nikon D500 with ISO 400, f/6.3, 1/2000 with 340mmOsprey photo taken with Nikon D500 With ISO 400, f/11, 1/2500 with 500mm. Both photos taken on different days were with little time to set up! The hawk spent a minute flying over me and the osprey was on a post and then took off so I figured to practice while it flew away. The hawk was handheld and osprey was while using my gimbaled on tripod.

Red Tailed Hawk. Nikon D500 f/16  1/1000  500mm  ISO640.

I like this shot on a foggy day. Because I was shooting beyond ideal distance for the Nikon 200-500 zoom lens, and shutter speed could have been faster, some of the detail is lost, but, if you look carefully, you may notice that both the first and last birds in this group were looking directly at the camera. You can also notice a feather floating down below the group. D7100  f/7.1  1/800 500mm ISO200

These were fun shots because I found a place to wait where I could shoot from high ledges above this Bald Eagle. Shutter speed could have been faster for better detail. The background was frozen bay and very reflective. Sunlight was coming from the left. Nikon D7100 f/8  1/1200 450mm ISO200

I worked really hard at the marshland conservatory (and my backyard) for I while to get these pictures, and out of nowhere is a big flock of seagulls and other birds right up close! fired a few shots and left them in peace.

Lewis' Woodpecker carrying acorns to a cottonwood tree where s/he shoves them in crevices for eating later.  Also a Steller's Jay.

Red tailed hawk in flight over a field, and me, while I was tracking it with my camera. Osprey with sucker in talons after just pulling up and out of the water.

Like everyone else, I have struggled to take tack sharp BIF photos.  Handholding a heavy lens and camera  with my puny arms is no easy feat!  I need to do more upper body workouts apparently.  This class has been enormously helpful.  I see where I’ve made some serious errors and I can’t wait to work on improving my skill.  I’m attaching a few shots that seem reasonable.  All were shot with a 500mm f/5.6 prime lens.  (It “only” weighs 3 pounds; I don’t know how Melissa holds a 600mm f/4 that weighs 8 whopping pounds!) Settings: Osprey: 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 200; Reddish Egret: 1/2000, f/6.3, ISO 360; Tricolored Heron: 1/1600, f/5.6, ISO 125. I wish I could have photographed the Tricolored Heron flying toward me, but I fear it was fleeing all the photographers on the bridge, so this is all I have.

I was about to call it a day, it was so windy and HOT,  10:15am. But an Osprey's call stopped me in my tracks.  Flying over me, then lost sight of him in the thick trees near the Arkansas River.  I hightailed it as fast as I could, following his screams.  I'd seen the resident Osprey with her fledgling in this Lake Pueblo, (Colorado) State Park last week.  I reached the river and there he was, circling the river; he didn't catch a fish this time, unfortunately for both of us!  The blustery, easternly wind seemed to pause him in his tracks,  he was flying into the wind,  facing the sun,  so this was my best shot in a series.  I tried using Melissa's field techniques, with the  sun east and west, but not at my back, because I would have had to run another 30 yards to get the sun at my back for better frontal lighting.  Didn't want to risk losing any shot, and he did fly away less than a minute later.   I cropped this image about 20%.  7D Mark ll; 100-400mm 4.5-5.6L IS ll with 1.4xlll teleconverter; 1/1600sec; ISO 800; spot meter.  

In the last post I explained that I had gone to the North Pier on the shores of Lake Erie, and on  my way back from the North Pier, I stopped at a pond on the park because I saw an Osprey flying above the pond. At one point the Osprey flew right over my head and then dove into the water right in front of me. I was able to get clear shots of the Osprey overhead and after coming up out of the water. when the Osprey splashed into the water I could feel the force of the bird and the water on impact from the bird, but the Osprey was so close, I couldn't get the camera to focus that well and those pictures are a little blurred, so I am submitting pictures of the Osprey overhead, after it came up out of the water, and then flying away. This Osprey was very beautiful and such a powerful force. Beautiful!

In order to practice birds in flight I went to the North Pier at Presque Isle State Park. This is an interesting area because the pier is a cement pier that stretches out into the water and is a very active bird and people area. Visitors come to the North Pier to walk the Pier and see Lake Erie, watch the birds and the fishermen at the Pier. The birds are very use to the activity in the area and are not intimidated by the visitors to the Pier. My focus bird for the day was the Ring-billed Gull. The day was a beautiful sunny, blue sky day and the winds were about 9mph coming from the North/Northeast. I was able to get some photos I was very pleased with and while focusing on the gulls, I was excited to see a Bald Eagle flying in the distance out over the Pier.