National Geographic just had a special on birds of paradise. The differences in each of the different species is astounding, amd the photography was excellent. You should also check out the "Life" miniseries. There was a whole section on birds.

OK...looks like this can go away now.

You might want to check Amazon or Ebay. You will want to get the heaviest tripod you can carry comfortably. I suggest you go to a local photography store and check out their stock before buying. Bring your camera with you and ask the clerk your questions.

Both Nikon and Canon's entry-level DSLRs are great, have outstanding features, are (comparatively) inexpensive, and you can use any lens with the same mount (I use three used lenses from the late '80s and early '90s, as well as a couple of telephotos). The main thing you're going to want for birds in flight, kids playing, sports, or anything else moving quickly, is a fast lens (meaning as wide-open of an f-stop as possible [the smaller the number, the faster the lens i.e. 28mm f/1.9 is quite fast]), and shoot with the fastest shutter-speed possible (at LEAST 1/400 second). My Nikon D80 will shoot as fast as 1/4000 second, and Canons are comparable. As for Nikon v. Canon: They both rock. It really comes down to personal preference at this level, though I have heard tell that Nikon is preferable for sports and action shots, where Canon is better designed for portraiture and studio work. Like I said though, it's really personal preference. Go to your local camera store (NOT Best Buy or any of those big-box stores, support local!), tell them what you're after, play around with the different cameras, ask questions, go home and think, and then get what you want. Or, go to Best Buy, ask around, play around, find out what you can from those useless punks, and then go buy used somewhere else!