The most pictures are taken handheld without monopod or tripod (otherwise noted).

I like the ideal of only photographing the birds in their natural surroundings. This ideal makes it a little more challenging, because they are normally very shy here in Europe, and you really have to develop good techniques of stalking to get close enough, which often means within a range of 10-15 meters or even closer, preferable 4-8 meters with my Nikon AF VR 80-400mm and AF-S VR 500mm lenses.

-o-