OK for a completely different view point.
Yes create folders for each bird species.
How you decide to nest these is up to you.
Keyword your images as well.
Personally I use IPTC, the data is contained within the image not as a sidecar file.
Tying yourself into the Adobe way of doing things means you are tied into the Adobe way of doing things.
With IPTC you can use a variety of software to access your images.
If you name your images as something along the lines of
bird name / image date / image number
They will appear in chronological order in your folders and can never have a duplicate.
You can add location and any thing else you wish as well.
All done automagically at import of the images of your cam card.
This sounds complex really it is easy when you find a piece of software that works with your mind.
DAM, Digital Image Management is a minefield, everyone has different thoughts.
Just be aware of tying yourself into non open source systems.
Adobe has realised that they have a mature product and upgrades are no longer a cash cow.
Have a look at what they have done to Photoshop etc as a new way of making money ...
If your serious about getting order into what can quickly become chaos have a good Google at DAM and travel on from there.
We were all where you are now, some work it out others throw their hands in the air and end up in a bigger mess