Birds in flight

The best time to catch birds in flight is when they are just taking off and when they are landing.  These are the times when their wing formations are the most dynamic.  The way they use their wings to gain altitude or to slow down is fascinating to see, and using a fast frame rate you'll be able to get amazing pictures.  Use the fastest shutter speed light permits.  This is a jabaru stork returning to its nest for the evening in the Pantanal of Brazil.  The birds had built their nest on a platform set up by the lodge I use, and I knew they returned at sunset every evening.  My settings were 1/500, f/5.6, 640 ISO.  Smaller birds that flap their wings at a very fast rate require a much faster shutter speed, but with storks I could get away with 1/500th.