It is possible to use a 20-year-old camera for bird photography, but it will be challenging. Hopefully you can enjoy the challenge! You will likely have to crop bird images and 8MP will mean that you may get some pixelation. Also, ISO noise is more of a problem on older cameras. To avoid this you will want the bird to fill as much of the frame as possible when shooting and shoot in bright light. To fill the frame you will need as long a zoom range as possible.
You will want to shoot at the maximum 3 frames per second as catching any moving bird will mean you will want as many images to choose from as possible. Most of us deal with a limited budget and we make compromises in our choice of equipment.
It seems that pairing an older full-frame lens would be a good idea since you get a 1.6x crop factor (effectively mutiplying your zoom range by 1.6x). It also means that you will be likely be getting better image quality since you will only be using the center of the lens and not the edges where lenses, especially less expensive lenses, tend to suffer. I see a Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM for US$284 at MPB rated in excellent condition. I believe MPB is international, so perhaps you can find one for that price delivered to you. That lens would be essentially a 112-480mm lens on your camera. Even with image stabilization that this lens offers you will probably be limited to shooting in bright light and not at great distances as birds are small targets. That said at 10 meters or perhaps a bit farther you can get some good closeup shots of birds.
The Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM would likely be an even better choice, but I cannot find one of those, or even a third-party full-frame 400mm within your budget. I hope this gives you some ideas.
Choosing a lens is always a tradeoff and there is always a better lens for more money. Most of us deal with a limited budget and we all make tradeoffs in our choice of equipment.
Thank you for joining us and let us know what you decide, and please share some pictures in our gallery. Or, if you prefer, just share them here and ask for advice on how to improve. I hope you enjoy shooting and the challenge of using your equipment for your purposes.
