Would you believe it ......?

[Clicker]

Three times in the last 2 years,  a really beautiful Merlin has flown past my kitchen  window whilst I was  washing up dishes and landed in our large Magniolia tree just outside. I never had a camera  close enough  to grab  to be able to get a photo during the  the  10 - 30 seconds  that  he  was  sat there .. Today  I saw a grey and tan flash as he shot past the window scaring off all the birds feeding and sat in the tree opposite me and  after about 30 seconds he was still there  so  I went to get my camera and big lens hoping he would remain there ... Then I realised that for the first time ever I had left my camera in the car overnight    ...  not something I have ever done before and it had only happened as my phone rang just as  I was getting out of the car. ...It must have distracted me.   The car was parked  only ten feet from the tree so  I knew I couldn't retrieve the camera without  disturbing the Merlin  so  thought I would have to rely on my Panasonic FZ1000. I grabbed that only to find the battery was flat and my replacement batteries were in my camera bag in the car  !! Would you believe it, that blessed bird sat in the tree for 45 minutes just ten feet away   just looking at me...  I'm now going to have to lie down in a darkened room  to try and get my blood pressure down  !! Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh !

[JohnP]

It's a job to know what to say Polly... I bet you will be ready next time!

I guess that's the problem with having several cameras, I have sold nearly all my DSLR gear and for all the use my Canon 60D gets I may as well let that go too. It's so much easier having the FZ2000, it's always on my desk when I am at home and I have four batteries which I keep charged. If something appeared in my garden I would be ready for it.