Yes, a few photos came out ok, but it was by sheer luck. I was checking the viewing screen after each shot and the lighting looked ok, so I kept right on shooting. Two erroneous taps of a button could have set the ISO to 1600. I guess that's what happened. ??
Lesson learned. Mistakes = experience, right?

I actually sat down and read the whole manual last night. I should have done that first, but I was just so excited to get out and shoot!

Now that I know a little about aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc., I have no idea how to know what settings to use. I can do test shots no problem, but for wildlife, I don't want to miss anything because I am looking down at my camera.

Are there any good rules of thumb you all go by?

Thanks for the help.
Andrew