One thing to consider as well, is a camera is only good if you take it with you. A large dSLR will tend to get left home on walks, hikes, etc especially with telephoto lenses as they are HUGE and heavy. A compact super-zoom with the same or greater reach can be <1/2 the size and much less weight, and still take great photos in good light.

I would take this into very high consideration and one of the most common posts I see on the micro 4/3 forums (small interchangeable lens system) is people, even pros, ditching their dSLR systems due to the difficulty of lugging that heavy equipment around.

It is also a common misconception to purchase Nikon/Canon only. Sure they have great market penetration, but in many ways they artificially limit the performance and features on the lower-end cameras to leave a market for the higher-priced units. I don't like how they roll with that.

Given what I know about you, I would say a high-end super-zoom would be a way to get your feet wet first, and learn as much as you can. If the camera cannot deal with what you are trying to do, later upgrade to a larger full-function camera. Give the super-zoom to the wife or kids. It is much more difficult to go the other way as it is quite an investment on bodies and zoom lenses worth their salt for wildlife.

For super-zooms, Panasonic and Sony have some of the best, with abundant useful features an are easy to navigate and use the interfaces.

For dSLR, look at Canon and Nikon. It is a religion to select one or the other. Sony makes extremely nice ones, but it is difficult to get service in the US.

For what I have, the micro 4/3. Panasonic bodies for beginners as the menu system is by far better than Olympus. Olympus has GREAT glass, and amazing Sony sensors that lately compare very well with dSLR sensors (if not passing some up!). Lenses from both Oly and Pana are interchangeable so there is a huge selection to choose from.

If I were able to spring on a new Camera, I would choose this one:
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/olympus...mp;ref=mainmenu
As I already have lenses in this system. Otherwise if I tripped over a winning Lotto ticket, this one would be my first choice:
http://www.dpreview.com/products/olympus/slrs/oly_em1
Weather sealing a plus.

-Mark