i would really like to know your opinions on the best camera for small birds and mammals at distance

I always took my sx30is while golfing to shoot mostly sand hill cranes and their chicks and other animals, and it worked great. Now I use the SX40 and it's even better. The extra zoom really helps to get them even closer, I'm usually between 600 and 840mm when I shoot. This camera also works great for general things as well. I've brought it (the 40) to the Kennedy Space center and was able to shoot the various structures from a mile away at least. I've taken the 30 to all my family vacations and it's perfect. No use spending thousands of dollars for the larger sensor and other features of a D-SLR if you're not a pro.