I don't make a thing of "birding" as such, but I do enjoy to watch birds of all sizes. It's very rare indeed that one gets to see a bird of prey, especially within city-limits. I had two lenses with me; 21mm and 60mm. The 60mm seemed like my best chance—neither this lens, nor the A7R are what I would choose to attempt photography of a bird of prey in flight (these shots are both at ~100% crop).
I was alerted to this majestic bird's appearance as it swooped just 2m above my head attempting to catch a sparrow or something else mid-flight. It was rather impressive, and though I don't have that image to show you, I'm glad I watched the whole event unfold before my very eyes.
Anyway, once the excitement ended (I spent almost an hour watching this bird and its companion ride majestically on the thermals above, I continued my stroll around the backstreets of Kanazawa. I love Japan's backstreets. There's always something going on, something nice to see, and something worth stopping for.
As always, I hope you enjoyed the set.