This is actually the truly crazy (and heavy!) RF200-800mm, with F9 at 800mm (and they do one even madder at x4 the price or so).
Sadly, Canon don't let others use their RF interfaces, so I'd guess Sigma, etc. don't try hard to work with Canon anymore.
I know for birds the ideal is closer to the suggested 1/2000s, but in practice that seems out of reach without doing bad things to the ISO with this lens/body. While the camera was doing auto-ISO to 100-350, the photos needed quite a bit of increased brightness when processing (RAW of course) to bring out the bird, so there was little to spare. And this, in sunshine. If I'd been thinking, some exposure compensation on the camera would have been sensible, but I doubt the end result would be much better.
Not that I'm aware of - just eats storage and battery! That said, with a heavy camera, you're unlikely to keep it firmly on target for much of the burst!
I think what's happening is the long focal length allowing distant shots is giving a much greater depth of being in focus, combined with decent sunlight, and often trees in the full frame that are the right sort of distance way (these are massively cropped down from the full frames). This gives a better chance of the auto-focus getting it right. Also, swallows do have slower glide phases in their flight which can help to get on target. What I was forgetting is to try burst shooting to up my chances.
Reading, UK - today, which rather surprised me to still see a flock of Swallows around. I find them really hard to photo - they notoriously don't land, and fly fast, so this lot of photos is as good as I get.
Canon R6 + RF 800mm, 1/1250s, ISO 100 or 350 for these
Always a delight to see flitting about, even more of a delight if they stay still long enough to photo. Reading,UK
Well, one symptom of it anyway - sunlight on dew on webs. Reading, UK
Yes, there's both buzzards and kites around here - very similar life-styles.
Red Kite, Prospect Park, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF 800mm
I like how the colours came out, especially as this was a dark bird on a white sky, which is always needs correction when on auto-ISO.
Thanks for continuing the story!
I'm reasonably sure this is a Chiffchaff, though it might be some other sort of warbler, and I was pleased to get such an action shot. (even if a bit obscured) Reading, UK.
Common Buzzard, high up in a tree in Prospect Park, Reading, UK
Nice shot, but are osprey nests always that rough & ready?
I think it fairly obvious that the first European settlers in North America were far from Ornithologists :)
As you've most likely already seen to find those links, Red-tailed hawks and (what I think of as) a Buzzard share a genus Buteo.
Reading, UK - just feeding my addiction to photoing Buzzards and Kites.
OK, that would be a danger to my wallet!
Just rejoicing in a moderately sharp shadow , and a slightly wistful look - yes, sunlight in Reading, UK!
I'd guess an adult transitioning from breeding plumage.
Prospect Park, Reading, UK
St Mary's Churchyard, Reading UK
I decided I was being snobbish by ignoring an obvious flock of "wild" birds in easy reach: in my local town centre - though sadly the light today was not that great.
One of my books lists four broad types, all represented here: Chequered, Rock Dove type, Pied and Ginger.
And look well-nigh identical to the UK Magpie - though the Latin name is different.
A young one from yesterday for contrast:
No scolding that I noticed :)
I think this is a (probably young) Cetti's Warbler, which is a first time photo for me. They are certainly found in that area (Reading, UK), and Merlin Bird Photo ID points to it for the following photo taken at the same time and place:
Canon R6 + RF800mm
Common Buzzard, Reading, UK Canon R6 + RF800mm
Nice - which wagtail is that?