bird photography on the road

Thanks for the ratings on the last blog, I tried to respond but it seems that things are not working well? I tried to leave a "discussion" but it got lost in space?
Deb and I are on the road, our track is on EOTrackme, currently around Dalby. The plan is to get to the border, maybe Texas, and hang a right, head west. Surely it will be warmer out there (ha ha)?
In reality, we want to get away from crowds, chase some drier country, get to some bird areas. I have always had good success photographing birds in drier places. Find water, and you find birds.

Everyone needs a vice, bird photography is not a bad one. If you like camping, it is a great hobby, better than doily knitting, I reckon. It gets you out, away from the people, away from the stress. Can get a bit expensive, but many things cost.

I tend to try for new (for me) species, and in-flight shots, if possible. If not, bird-on-branch will do.
Carrying a lot of camera gear is a hassle, heavy and delicate. I have shelves inside the box on the back of the iveco, and use Pelican cases, they are waterproof, and padded.
I use canon super telephoto lenses for the birds, as speed at distance is the only thing that will stop the wings of a flying bird, most shots are around 1/8000 of a second, or close.
Main camera is a Canon 1DX, love it.
Main subjects tend to be birds and cattle. We have Droughtmasters up North, and they make good subjects

For people shots, I use the Zeiss manual lenses, amazing bits of glass- people, landscapes, - manual lenses keep your feet on the ground, there is nothing that changes in photography basics, newer cameras only add party tricks. I use prime lenses, don't like zooms.
Having said that, I recommend that you try avoiding auto modes. Modern point-and-clicks are amazing, but try to learn the basics

I would be keen to talk to some birders or photographers, its a bit lonely in the van parks when you tend to specialise.
I use Flickr generally, to show some shots, but the reality is, storage becomes an issue. I use 2 x USB3 2 Gig hard drives on the road. I use Fastone Image Viewer, a free viewer (download), great for Raw files. Then once I choose the better ones, I open them in Photoshop, adjust, and save as .jpg's. Internet likes .jpg's
Flickr site-
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_bendon_1957/
Not sure how the EO site resizes images, Flickr doesn't resize, and as such tends to attract photographers. I will try to post some more. See how they come up.
Winter is coming, and we are sooks in the cold, so see how we go?
Attached a couple here, see how it loads
Hope to see you on the road!