It is tough to mix both serious
birding and serious bird photography like
digiscoping on the same outing. You can be casual about one and serious about the other on a given outing, but not serious about both on the same outing. Serious
birding and serious
bird photography are both full time jobs and will require everything you have in terms of concentration and attention. Decide, before you leave, which you will be your primary activity for any given outing. That's from someone who does both and its also why most birding group leaders, myself included, and nearly all birding tour businesses offer separate trips for bird photographers and birders. The needs of these two groups are actually quite different and often conflicting. Think of it this way. Taking a good pic of a common bird can be just as hard as taking a pic of a rare bird, but, believe me, birders in a group are not going to wait an hour for you to set up your camera and/or
camera and
spotting scope to get a good pic of a Killdeer or other common species. You will get left behind.
