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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gillian_M" data-source="post: 1389040" data-attributes="member: 45838">I think my enjoyment of watching birds increased when I started taking my digital camera with me.  For me, taking photos of what I saw each outing and then studying them at home helped me to get to know the birds in my area better.  I was blogging before I started birding, and of course when I took some nice photos I would put them in my blog and describe my outings.  Somewhere along the way birding became an obsession, and I wanted to see new birds but couldn't always identify them.  I don't have a great memory for recalling all the little details (wing shape, eyering, how far did the streaking extend on the chest, how long was the tail?) so my camera came in handy while I was learning about new species.Now I'm equally happy just to observe birds as to photograph them, if they are reasonably cooperative and the light is right.  I like to photograph each new life bird, for my records, but if I don't get a shot I'm not too displeased - last spring I saw my first Worm-eating Warbler at Rondeau but it was darting about in the pouring rain, so I didn't even try to take a photo.  I was satisfied just getting a long look at it and noting its features so that there was no question in my mind that it was indeed a Worm-eating Warbler.I now have a separate nature blog where I write about my outings and post my photos, and I enjoy going back and reading old entries and reliving those excursions.  I photograph everything that interests me while birding, not just birds, and my blog and photos keep the memories alive for me.  I don't go out anywhere without my camera, because you just never know what's out there, and what opportunities will present themselves - once a (presumed) Cooper's Hawk landed on the roof of our library right in downtown Ottawa and I was kicking myself for not having my camera with me!For the record, I have a small point-and-shoot camera, a Sony Cybershot DSC-H7 which has a 15x zoom.  It's light enough to carry around in the field, and I don't have to worry about different lenses.  It takes amazing photos when I'm close to the subject, but also has the range for more distant birds.  While I'm thrilled to find that some of my photos are better than just nice, I don't worry about the perfect picture when I'm shooting. I'm just happy if I can keep the subject in focus!</blockquote>

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