Ten tips,
Never use anything on auto, you fight the cameras software rather than get an intuitive understanding of whats going on
start with iso 800, an aperture of 8, shutterspeed of 2000th of a sec or faster, minus one exposure compensation , (with a raw file) when the sun is up ,, then adapt
Check each set of pics as you go , slightly
underexposed is better
Set your camera up to do backbutton focus , take three shots , refocus take more if you have time
set your camera to do focus priority release of shutter
dont kid yourself that you are going to be able to focus on the eye of the bird
understand that a backlit photo will never have the nice look you prefer , so shoot the bird when she is banking or the best light available
Dont keep photos of the rear end of the bird, if youre too late , just accept it like a man
Have in your mind a no-fly zone, which is to say , any moving bird in that sector ,, which should be the direction of good lighting, is going to get shot down
Dont keep photos of the rear end of the bird, if youre too late , just accept it like a man