Ah, well, the trick is to watch the kinglets as they forage. If they return to the same spot ... be there! It's like shooting skeet. You don't aim at the clay pigeon, but instead aim where it will be by the time the shot reaches it. Also, you need to seriously practice aiming your lens at a tiny target and finding that target in your viewfinder right away. If it doesn't appear instantly, then even with a fast autofocus on-board you haven't much of a chance of capturing an image. When using a 400mm, 500mm, or 600mm lens this task can be very tricky. Most lenses can AF faster on a subject that is closer than the lens's current range setting than it can on a subject farther away than the existing setting. So, if you are following a kinglet from branch to branch, have the AF set to a branch somewhat more distant, then when a kinglet appears just a little closer, the AF will shoot onto the nearer bird faster than it might otherwise. This principle applies across the board, for any subject. The lens will always snap into focus faster when going from far - to - close than it will the other way around. The shot of the phoebe was taken after it left its perch, chose a nearby perch and then ultimately returned to its first perch. I pre-focused on the original perch (good angle and good light) and simply took a chance and waited for it too return, which it did, thankfully ... click! It doesn't always pan out that way, but when you are alone you can always scream, or have a tantrum. It's all part of getting a good workout.
