Taking photos of wild life, especially birds has been a passion of mine.  One of the best sites to do this I found is at Elephant Pond near Medera Canyon in Arizona.  This is one of the cardinals that came to visit along with her mate. Hand holding a camera to photograph birds may be difficult with a large lens. Don't be afraid of taking the time to use a tripod especially if you are in an area which more than one bird calls home.  Sometimes putting a weighted pillow on the window of a car will work well also for stabalization.