Red Bellied Woodpecker

I have become addicted to bird photography and I have lurked here a long time trying to soak up some knowledge from you fantastic bird shooters. I think I am to the point now to post for critics to help me further improve.
exif on this shot
40D
70-200 2.8+ 1.4 extender
ap 6.4
ss 1/250
ISO 400
using monopod

I have 2 questions (for now)(you all proly gonna cost me some money!!)
would a tripod really help a lot

I have been considering the 100-400 for some time now. I think there is better choices for birding but as a compromise I could use the 100-400 for sports with the GrandKids. your thoughts on this please.

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Hello Ray and welcome to the addiction

Personally, I don't use the tripod anymore and prefer my monopod. It's plenty steady for bird photography. I prefer to plan my outing on the weather and time of day. Preferring the early morning, cloudless days is how I get my best shots.

The 100-400L is a great choice for bird photo.

Nice shot but you do need some longer glass, I would have thought your existing lens was ideal for shooting the grandchildren at sports, so consider what your requirements are for birding. As a general rule I suspect most of us are shooting at the long end so since you have a zoom you may want to consider a prime which will give marginally better IQ than a zoom. I have a Sigma 150-500 which I find excellent and supplement that with a 1.4TC

I find your tripod question interesting.
While we may not NEED a tripod for stability when using an IS lens, I still consider it convenient to have the whole gear secured in place at the twist of a knob, not needing to support it at arms length between shots and/or not needing to find a clean/safe spot to lay it down.
The trade-in being the lack of flexibility, especially if you have several feeders to cover...
Thoughts anyone?
Gerard

You got a really nice shot at the Red Bellied Woodpecker, but you should to save for a longer Sigma 150-500 as it will give you the reach you're probably looking for.