First tripod use.
Although I have been practising nature photography for the last 18 months, and owned some sort of tripod for that entire time, this Xmas was the first time that I tried to use one in anger.
My first attempt at the Ben Rhydding Nature Reserve was a total disaster which had me swearing never to use one ever again. I was trying to capture a "decent" picture of a red Kite. However I felt constrained by the tripod and missed several other "targets of opportunity" due to the camera being locked on the tripod. With in-lens and in-body stabilisation I felt, why mess around with all this extra equipment.
A second attempt the next day at Staveley Wetland Nature Reserve showed where the power of the tripod comes in when trying to photograph "fast action". Once the camera was set up "monitoring" the most likely areas for action it allowed me to easily capture action without having to snatch up the camera, locate, and focus. Although the image stabilisation would have caught the cormorant action, it is highly unlikely that I would have been ready for it if shooting by hand. When I can find a place where I can monitor a "target" for several hours the tripod will be an essential tool from now on.