For a bird photographer like you the shift to digital photography must have meant a huge gain in economy. You can now allow yourself the luxury of shooting (almost) as many pictures as you want without having to fear the work and money involved to develop them all. This is when I realise how spoilt I am with my (mostly) non-moving subject matters...
Anyway, not only must it be more economical for you to shoot digital it is also a great way of not contenting oneself with just good bird shots but only with the best ones. And this is when pictures like this one become possible. What a noble and elegant pose, what a strong identity this bird has. I assume it was most interesting for you to being able to follow this beautiful white fellow over several hours.
Happy 4th to you and your family!
Thanks, Valentin
PS. I thought you might be interested to know that the sensor of your D3 seems to have some dust on it already. You can see some in this shot, particularly in the lower left corner and also behind the right wing.
