[robski]

Using 1/8000 sec does seem extreme for most sport and bird photograph. I suspect 1/8000 sec will never be fast enough to completely freeze the wings of the fastest hummers that beat their wings at 200 times a second. ( the bird would of move it's wing 1/40 of a cycle in 1/8000 sec ) I believe photographers resort to high speed flash photography which could give you an effective shutter speed of 1/10,000 to 1/20,000 sec.

For general bird photograph I have used speeds as low as 1/50 Sec but prefer to keep it faster than 1/200 Sec to freeze bird movement. Keeping a long lens still is another set of problems