I love to PAN.
Some birds fly faster than others. Some pretty much fly in straight line. Others like the swallow are constantly turning and going up and down. The f-16’s of the bird world. Or the Flycatcher. Fast and unpredictable flight. As I have watched the American Avocet I’ve noticed some routines in their flights. At Farmington they often between ponds. Back and forth. And pretty much in a straight line. So I set up. Put the long lens on the D3s and waited between the ponds. I almost always shoot in aperture priority. Gives me control over the depth of field. Though most of the time I shoot wide open to isolate the subject. It is a look and feel in a photograph that I like. So I am shooting wide open (f/6.7 on the 600 with a 1.7 teleconverter). The long lens allows me the distance I need from the Avocet so they will fly directly between ponds. And not be deterred by my presence. I am 90 degrees from the birds as they fly by. Panning right then left. Fortunately I have a great Gitzo tripod with the gimbal head. Makes the panning a little easier and smoother than hand holding. Besides that, I would have to look like the hulk to hand hold a 600mm lens successfully. After about 800 or so frames I was done (sunset). Ended up with a couple of keepers……
I did take the liberty to convert to black and white and erase the original colored layer of the Avocet back in. The full color photo was a little bland.