So you all who are the pro birders. Do you just hang out a spot for awhile and wait patiently for birds to come by? Obviously you have to sort of plan where their habitat is. I’m not sure I’m patient enough to be a birder!! ????
Two factors for birds..... and sports, musicians, dancers and the like where there is movement possible, or happening.
One...... Know your equipment.
Sophisticated (and costly) cameras and lenses are nice to have, but you have to be prepared to learn to use them. It is also possible to get good results with simpler / cheaper equipment as long as you learn to work within its limitations.
Also, be prepared to spend computer time editing your photos. A bit of cropping and adjusting can turn something quite ordinary into something to be proud of. Again, you can use costly pro level apps like Photoshop, Lightroom and the like, or just stick with Photos that comes preloaded, at no extra cost on your Mac.
Being of humble means, I use a Fujifilm X20 (I am on to my second, which I picked up heavily discounted about 18 months ago) and Photos (which was a dreadful replacement for iPhoto when it first arrived on the scene, but has evolved into something worth using). I am using a 2017 MacBook Air at the moment, but am looking forward to setting up a Mac Mini, with a 22" monitor again when the situation arises.
I have occasionally snapped birds using the webcam on the Air, though getting something worth working with is rare. I don't have a smartphone, but folks do get some good shots on an iPhone these days.
Two...... Know your subject....... Anticipation is key.
Spend some time getting to know the behaviour of your subject. If it is birds, observe how they behave, and move. If it is a musician, check out their movements, and the moments they hesitate. If it is sport, learn the basic rules of the event, how it flows, and the movment of individual players.
Anticipate the moment when you are going to get a good shot. I learned this when hunting and spear-fishing. You only get one shot, so make it a good one! With photography, however, you have many more opportunities, so anticipate what could happen, take plenty of shots, and you will land up recording a few memorable moments...... but be prepared to delete plenty.
I'll take several hundred shots at a game of cricket, but will land up with just a few (catches, stumping, bowled etc) that are interesting enough to work with. When photographing birds I don't take so many shots, but still only land up with only a few keepers.
I generally just use single shot, with the camera set on "P", but having used manual cameras I have some idea of what the settings are. I set the focus with the shutter release half way down, and click when the moment is (or could be) right.
On occasion I'll go to more specific settings (ISO, shutter, aperture) depending on conditions or what I want to capture. Likewise with multi-shot, which I tend to use only when I do want a series of shots (to capture the action of a bowler, for instance).
Patience is fundamental, and experience is your teacher.
