Upping my bird photography game

[vavroom]

I routinely get comments from people looking at my bird photos to the effect that they are very good. And I'm not completely unhappy with a lot of my photos. Yet, I feel like I've plateau'ed, that my skills and techniques aren't improving.

I've read many articles and sites with tips and tricks. Watched videos. Still missing something.

What resources do you use to improve your skills?

[nickinthegarden]

We all get into a rut at times and feel like we are not getting any better. Change it up, shoot something different, landscapes, people, the moon. A photographer I know shoots spiderwebs, feathers and dewdrops when she needs a change. I spend time on Flickr looking at other's images and see what tweaks my interest. Another photographer I know keeps buying different equipment, he loves the challenge of learning how to work with different set ups.
Photography is a craft of practice, if you are not shooting several times a week you are likely not remembering everything you have learned. Find subject matters that you are passionate about. What kind of birds excite you to photograph. waterfowl, raptors, songbirds? Sometimes specializing in one type of bird or family can get you going. I spend the month of November photographing Bald Eagles feeding on salmon. A few months later after I have processed the last images I am really not interested in them until November comes around again.
Perhaps shoot only the birds you can find in a certain park or location. With the restrictions of Covid we are limited to where we should go. Right now I am excited about the brightly colored songbirds arriving, warblers, orioles, swallows, etc. In a normal year I would travel to the interior, perhaps this year I will not be able to.
I am also a big believer in knowing what I am shooting and something about them. If I hear a bird and I cannot see it, what is it? A good photographer is going to be very knowledgeable about the habits of it's subject matter.
Modern camera equipment is very complex and can do many different things, have you fully explored all the things that your gear can do. Do you do video? Do you shoot RAW (and you should)?
There are photography forums on the net where you can post your images to have critiqued, sometimes a painful experience and sometimes they will give you advice as to what you need to do to improve the quality of your images.
Those are my thoughts if that helps you out.

Nick