Frank, things are definitely more difficult over here in Germany. It is in general far more difficult to get close to the birds - there's a reason why most German bird photographers use longer focal lengths than Jack does, like the f4/500mm (plus TC if necessary) on a DX body, or, in the case of Canon shooters, the 100-400 (plus TC), once again on a DX body (usually the 7D Mark II). Even in places where there are hundreds of thousands of birds on migration, like the Wattenmeer, you need long lenses, patience and some luck. Local knowledge helps, no doubt about that, and ornitho.de is a good starting point, but if you want to get really good shots it's a fulltime hobby. In addition, using a tape to lure birds closer is generally frowned upon over here, for good reason: It far too often disturbs birds in places where they might breed.
Which is why I only do bird photography to document rarities, that is birds that shouldn't really be here or only occur here only rarely on migration, or to document "interesting" behaviours, unusual plumages or hybrids. For those purposes I don't need technically "good" shots, as long as the relevant field marks and so on are visible in my shots.
Hermann
