I don't have a vr zoom, but an old Nikon ED 600mm f5.6 and a 1.5 crop sensor-
soo,
shooting birds with a bigun and a nice tripd/head is supposed to be fun,
see the owls...
then stop down as far as practicable getting a detailed but focused loci
realize that with my 600 the DOF is really quite flat
so try and get the dof at the same time,
then color and field
because doing all those things at once with a 600 is really a matter of practice,
like firing a pistol.
not so easy but clearly defines one's mindset and determination, not to mention physicality and just out and out luck finding these creatures and hoping they'll pose-
also be quiet-
wild animals are used to that
just enjoy is the main thing