My learning curve with the photography is pretty much down the toilet, but I persist. One of my local birding buddies invited me to tag along with
him tomorrow and look for a few unusual species that have been found in the St. Pete area recently. He has given me many good tips so far, and has exactly the
same rig I do. I look forward to spending some time with him, and learn to shoot better "out in the field". Should be fun. The good news is that I
have seen both target species before, and have pics of them already. In other words, if I screw up...no big deal. Whew!
Check out some of his pictures from his recent trip to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands....that Violet-tailed Sylph is one AMAZINGLY beautiful bird!
http://www.zinnysworld.com/field%20trips.htm
.gif)
for our trip. 
