Bird in Flight Aids

I'm not sure if this topic belongs here or in the equipment section, but I'm curious if anyone has experience using an auxiliary sighting system to help with BIF images? I don't seem to be a natural aimer and by the time the autofocus figures out what it wants to do the bird usually seems to have left the field of view. I did some poking around and found an adapter from the hot shoe to a scope mount and was thinking of putting a red dot sight on it. Apparently some people have been doing so and the reviews have been good. Any experience r thoughts out there?

I don't know about any auxiliary devices but here's a little trick I use. When I put the hood on my 500mm, I always place the screw on the top so that it lines up with the hot shoe. Then when first acquiring a BIF I sight it like using guns sights using the hot shoe and the hood screw. Works pretty well.

Keith thats a great idea and one I've never thought of! I always frame in the viewfinder but I hear what Dennis is saying. I think poor eye sight in the past few years has hurt me more then anything. Anyway I'm going to give the "gun sight" a try. Dennis if you come up with different magic let me know

I think it gets easier with practice. I always place the screw on top too. I don't know if I consciously use it like a gunsight but I do know that I have learned to get the bird in the viewfinder by aiming the lens before I ever look through the viewfinder. If I "miss" I pull my eye out of the camera and re-sight.

Getting shots of the little ones is frustrating, that's for sure. Do you squint with one eye? I've always been naturally "left-eyed" which is odd, since I'm right-handed, but I'm also not a squinter, so I have a little slice of peripheral vision to catch quick glimpses of flight in or out of the frame.

One drawback (I guess) to this personal quirk is that my nose/face is smushed up against the camera back/lcd screen when I'm using my "good" eye.

I've been a birder a lot longer than a bird photographer, and had lots of practice using a spotting scope. I would occasionally see a fellow birder with a small spotting scope attached to a rifle stock, but that doesn't seem to translate to photography!

I'm with Peter and Keith, use the hood screw for a foresight, looks like many of us have stumbled on this and not thought to mention it. I suppose if someone does market something it would be interesting but, if it aint broke... I guess the hood screw wins.

I suggest shooting hand held instead of using a tripod. The initial acquisition of BIF is the biggest advantage of the hand held technique. Simply look at the subject and then pop the camera and lens up to your eye in the line of sight to the subject. With practice this can be doen every time even on fast moving small BIF.