Red Phalarope (above) and Red-necked Grebe (below), Cannon Beach sewage ponds
Current camera: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ300, which has a quick auto-focus time, short time between shots, and an excellent view finder that allows you to find the bird very quickly and easily when you aim the camera.
But best of all are the consistently sharp pictures, thanks to a Leica lens that is F2.8 throughout the entire zoom, which means that it lets in a lot of light even when zoomed.