Interesting to note that many of the pros are using monopods with those big lenses.

Many thanks for the details.

Superb photos!
Can you provide some of the technical details? Camera, settings, macro rig, etc.?

Beautiful shot, with memories of "Shane". (Teach me how to shoot, Shane [Fred]!)

If I understand the guidelines listed by my Insurance agent, the Homeowner's insurance will cover theft from home or car. But it will not cover damage due to dropping lens or camera, immersion in water, theft from a hotel room, etc. That requires a "Personal Articles" policy. But perhaps the coverage differs with different insurance companies.

Good tip about insuring UV and Polarizing filters, tripods, gimbals, etc. They add up to a surprisingly large sum.

Very helpful discussion. Prompted me to contact my insurance agent. Theft from house or car is covered under standard Homeowner's Policy.
Coverage of loss of articles into water, dropping onto ground, etc., is not covered by Homeowner's Policy.
But such losses would be covered by Personal Articles policy.
Personal articles property insurance through State Farm is $240/year for $15,000 worth of coverage. Includes various forms of loss. Policy must list individual items, original cost, etc. Not sure how it deals with devaluation vs. replacement costs.

A bit more detail about the posted photo:
Saved as RAW.
Cropped in LightRoom
"Auto" correct of brightness. No other modifications. (Standard sharpness only.)
No modification to sharpness or Noise.
Exported from Lightroom to JPG.

Sample photo this morning. Taken through unwashed (!) kitchen window. Tamron 70-300 mm, at 300 mm. ISO 1600, 1/800, f 8.0. Approx. 40-60 feet from bird. Camera SONY A7R4 in APS-C mode. Handheld, braced against glass. IBIS is turned ON.

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I just purchased the Tamron 70-300 a week ago and have been using it on a A7R4. I also have the SONY 200-600mm, which is a fabulous lens, superb for Birds in Flight, but quite heavy, and requires a hefty tripod, or sturdy monopod and a strong Wimberley Gimbal. I wanted something lightweight that I could carry around for quick and easy bird shots. Pictures are reasonably sharp, image contrast and color quite acceptable. Easy to quickly attach the Tamron to camera body, without anxiety of dropping a very expensive lens (i.e., the SONY 200-600).Decently sharp shots when handheld even up to 200 mm on the Tamron, but recommend tripod for 300 mm shots. Even able to get reasonably sharp pix handheld at 300 if well braced against window and shooting through glass with IBIS turned ON. When shooting at 300mm on tripod, results improve if Image Stabilization turned off. Good at distances up to 50-70 feet, but results (so far) mediocre if over 200 feet at 300 mm. May be a problem with focus at greater distances. FOcus is fast in bright light. Further improvement if you use a remote controlled shutter accessory (e.g., SONY BLuetooth). Autofocus does some hunting as light level drops.
Lightwight enough to consider carrying in a day pack for those longer range photos. Weight is 1.25 pounds for Tamron, vs. 4.65 pounds for SONY 200-600. Claims that it is reasonably weatherproof, but haven't had a chance to properly evaluate. Surprisingly good Bokeh. Useful in both APS-C and Full Frame. For birds in flight, images usually have to be heavily cropped, which proves useful as the lens is better in the center than at the further lateral parts of image.
I love my SONY 200-600, but for casual walks through birding marshes, this is able to produce decent pix with the big advantage of lightweight.

Exquisite range of photos showing delicacy of waterfalls.
Beautifully done.

How many frames per second were you shooting?

Amazing clarity! Gorgeous shots.

The SONY 200-600 mm was listed in a recent B&H sale. No bargain, but reduced by about $100. Superb lens. Internal zoom means the lens does not extend when zooming. That results in a lens that remains balanced on the gimbal throughout the full range of magnifications. Reviews have favorably compared it to a GM (Master) series optics. Only negative is the weight. Focuses well even in relatively dim light.

A picture of a closely related long billed curlew. Interesting comparison of beaks.
Both taken with SONY A7R4.
Godwit shot with SONY 18-135 mm
Curlew with SONY 200-600 mm

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