Richard’s shooting advice
Use continuous shooting drive mode with the highest frame rate. Use back-button focus for more focusing control. Use the Single Point, Wide and Zone autofocus areas without tracking: I have found that more photos were in focus with tracking deactivated. The typical shutter speeds I use are 1/1,250 to 1/3,200 sec. When birds of prey take off, I drop to 1/800 or 1/1,000 sec. Study the birds to understand their habitat and behaviour as much as possible. For example, they may shake their feathers before take-off, so you can anticipate their movements. Birds like taking off into the wind. Keep comfortable and warm so you are not distracted, and melt into your surroundings. Then you can concentrate entirely on the birds!