I used the Nikkor 80-400 VR lens, handheld, and really anything at 1/400th or faster should give me a sharp shot. It was a white bird on a bright day, with a high ISO, and that combo of shuttrer speed and exposure seemed to work. I use Raw, and check the histogram (when I remember).
Thanks for capturing such a rare moment. Nicely done. One question, though, about your EXIF information. Is it accurate? Were you shooting at f/16? Wouldn't you get better shots of birds using a more open aperture like f/5.6?
