Camera research is my recent autistic interest.

…Thing is, mirrorless cameras are expensive, and £1000 is a tight budget. I regret some cheap purchases I made.

If your budget is strict, look for a bargain on a used Panasonic or OM/Olympus camera, plus some lens longer than 200mm+ matching the brand. But these are notoriously wonky with autofocus, unfortunately, and M43 is kind of a dead lens mount.

More ideally, look for some used Sony A6000-series body, then save up for their 70-350 lens. This is basically the perfect birding setup, as even older Sony bodies are great at autofocusing on animals. The 70-350 is a fabulous lens for the price, and common enough to find used.

This is also a better “upgrade path,” as Sony E is just a fantastic lens mount. There are tons of great value lenses available if you want them for something else, like landscapes or family shots or whatever.