Need ideas/focusing help

[Winona]

I have a Canon D80, Tamron 100-400. My eyes aren't so good, but I don't think its just that. I have had good photos with this camera, but very few. I do know I need a tripod/monopod, but I also know people who get good results freehand. I am shaky-even just holding binoculars. I leave in 8 weeks to go out west and do not want to cart this if I can't get good photos. I do not know if it is lack of light? The days it is very cloudy are the worst. But, today I took some photos of a distant heron and they are no good. I have had good results with birds, chipmunks, and hummingbirds on sunny days. The seagull and kittens were on dark days. The kitten photo-took many in different settings and even with the camera resting on the porch railing-all the same. I started with spot-centered focusing and then used multiple focus points in the center-still the same. I have been using AV and manual with various f stops, etc. Part of the problem is it hard for me to tell if something is in focus until I get the photos on the computer. I wish I could see the LCD better in the bright light. Part of it is not having reading glasses on me during hikes, but also the brightness. Guess I'll have to try the dark towel trick and make it a point to bring readers.

1. When I look at the data of each picture- the info shows me using a Canon 300mm f2.8. I do not own one. Why?
2. Ideas regarding the photos below. What can I do to improve them? Or just avoid cloudy days? LOL. But-today is sunny and the heron from today was cloudy as well.
3. Should I stick with spot centered focusing or expand the focus points a little? I'm going to start another thread because I want to expand on this.

Kittens-Cropped, otherwise untouched.ISO 2500, 400mm, f8, 1/1000. I assume blurry from high ISO? Very cloudy day. I was resting the camera at times with no change. Ideas? I think I will go into the menu and not allow it to go over a certain ISO, although thought I did this on set up.

Sparrow-this I lightened and cropped a little. ISO 4000, 339mm, f/9, 1/1250. I thought this actually came out pretty good. Again a really dark day.

Seagull-ISO 640, 400mm, f/6.3, 1/640. Probably AV setting. But this day took many birds with blurry results. Even tried manual to get a higher shutter speed. Maybe not high enough...At first glance it looks good, but head isn't focused. Was I focusing on its wing, or is the overall picture blurry? Hard for me to tell.

 

[JonFZ300]

Honestly, I think it might be your eyes. All three of those pics look fine in terms of sharpness to me at the size they are displayed on here. The kittens could use a little shadow lightening and the other two are underexposed but none of them are what I would call "blurry."

 

[Soocom1]

No blurriness at all.
Like what Jon stated, a bit underexposed, but overall good clear shots.

 

[Winona]

Thank you! I missed this because I ended up sending this twice.

 

[Scott Whaley]

Try adjusting the view finder so that it will be in focus with your eye. Focus on something with the auto focus and then focus the view finder to fit your eye.

 

[RVT1K]

I feel your pain...BRING YOUR READERS!!
It has gotten to the point where I really can't function without mine. I had LASIK close to 20 years ago and my distance vision is still spot-on but the readers are mandatory now.

There are a variety of things that can cause blur.

The first is when something is well and truly out of focus. This is a situation where things in the frame are sharp but your subject is not. The second is caused by shaking and pretty much the entire frame is blurry

But wide apertures and long focal lengths create very shallow depth of focus, its entirely possible to have a birds eyes in focus but the tail will be out.

Noise from high ISO's will look more like graining or speckling than blur.