So I have had my beloved Tokina AT-X 300 since February 2015. She is a fabulous lens.

She only has manual focus, which usually I like very much especially if the bird is sitting nice and still. However on my recent birdwatching trips to Yanbaru and Iriomote there were many occasions when I only had very little time to take the photo and could not focus fast enough.

I decide to buy an autofocus lens. After much research I decide on the Nikon 200-500mm VR.

https://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/200-500mm.htm#rex

I hunt one down on Ebay. It is second hand but in excellent condition. It arrived yesterday. Great excitement!

It is big.

I rush down to Triangle Pond to take photos of the usually numerous birds. However for the second consecutive visit there were very few to be seen. The trees that used to screen the pond from the road were cut down a few months ago and maybe the birds feel dangerously exposed. They have maybe gone somewhere else.

The new lens is fantastic. You just point it at the bird and pull the trigger. It feels a bit like cheating after years of manual focus.