Alexander Wright 🥉

For backyard birds, you want enough reach to fill the frame while keeping your setup light. I would go with Canon 75 300mm lens. On a Canon APS-C body it gives you nice pull for birds at feeders or perches without weighing you down. It reaches 300mm and weighs about 1 pound, so it stays easy to carry around the yard and handhold. The tradeoff is no image stabilization, so shoot in good light, keep your shutter speed up, and brace on a fence or use a simple monopod. If you can position a feeder or perch a bit closer, this lens will deliver pleasing backyard shots without the bulk.

I live in a very dry climate and learned that any inkjet gets grumpy if it sits with the power off :) tbh I leave mine on so it can do its little housekeeping once in a while, and when I know it has sat for a few weeks I run a nozzle check before printing something important so yeah... a tiny desktop humidifier nearby during winter also helped reduce dust and static, which surprisingly affects paper feed. No magic, just habits. For coupons, bright white 24 lb has been the sweet spot for me. Recycled content is fine but some brands shed more paper dust and that can lead to hesitations in the feed, so give the stack a good fan before loading. I use 28 lb only when I want a stiffer cut since it can slow the front tray.