Last week, I posted a photo of a bird in flight that, as a novice shooting birds in flight, was one of my better photos of birds. As I practiced a bit more on last December’s safari, I realized how important panning with moving birds is one of the most essential techniques in getting a bird in focus. By the end of the week, I was sort of getting the hang of it. Of course, panning is only one of many skills that need to be done correctly, including the right camera settings (ISO, Auto-Focus, etc.). The one thing I learned early is to shoot in bursts. Being a landscape photographer, I never needed to shoot in burst. Your subject does not move and your focus is more about composition and light. I used to think of shooting in burst mode as a “Spray and Pray” method of taking photos. That means that if you take a burst of 20 shots, you pray that one of them is actually in focus. When I was shooting this Striped Kingfisher flying from left to right, I thought I might have gotten a few decent shots. When I looked at the photos that night, I had to laugh at what I saw. I actually got the kingfisher in focus as he flew between the branches of a tree. I guess Spray and Pray does work once in a while.