Quite a few years ago (a good decade or so before I picked up any sort of camera in anger) I visited the Natural History Museum in London to see the "Wildlife Photographer of the year" winning shots being exhibited.

My favourite shot being shown that day was this one - a great reed warbler singing in the dawn sunlight - each note forming a trail of breath in the cold still air.

That shot has remained with me ever since -I'd love to capture something even remotely similar and although now, I have the technical know-how to get such a shot (and the kit, one could argue), the shot of a song bird singing, in which you can see its song, has eluded me.

I was up at the owl field at dawn on Sunday (gone), knowing full well that at dawn, robins sit on the gate where I park the car and pour out their fruity little warble for all to hear (and see, if the air is cold & still enough and the sun has rised just above the horizon).

But I went out without my camera thinking I wouldn't need it.

I chose..... poorly.

Not five minutes after I pulled up, a cock robin sat on the frosty gatepost not 6 feet from my car's open window and sang to the rising run  - each note forming a breathy squirl in the air. I had my singing songbird, I had its song visible in the still air. I had all what I had waited for years for - but.... my camera was two miles away.

Lesson learned you'd think?

Hmmmm.....

I've always (also) had a soft spot for red-legged partridge after seeing them in the countryside on my bike rides when I was a lad.

Oh sure, they're not native birds, but there was always something exciting about them - quite amazing plumage, but not that easy to see (generally hidden by thick grass or crops). I've certainly never managed a decent shot (photo) of one and I've not seen them for long periods in my life.

I'm lucky now, in that we have a small covey of red-legs in the fields surrounding the owl field. I can see eight (almost always eight) very regularly at present - and that may continue until the farm crops have covered them. But they're canny birds - always out in the open in the middle of the field - and they can spot me coming a mile off...

This afternoon, after work, I drove back to the owl field, to see if they'd managed to regain possession of their box.

As I pulled into the layby in order to watch the owl box, I noticed a "frenchman" on the gate post. The same gate post that my breathy robin sang so beautifully on at the start of the week.

The partridge jumped off the post when I pulled up next to it, but didnt go far - it just pecked around the new grass in the field, maybe 30 feet from my car.

I felt confident enough to open my drivers side window and watched in amazement as after about 5 minutes, it jumped straight back onto the gate post it had left when I pulled up and just looked at me - distance from my eyes to its -  maybe ten feet!

I had a beautiful red-leg, in full, fluffy breeding plumage, so close, I could see the silhouette of my car reflected in its eyes - I had my perfect partrige photo (it was even appeared to glow in the low orange sun)..... but I had left my camera at home a couple of miles away....

So.... You tell me.

Have I learned my lesson yet?

Take your camera with you. All the time.

Everywhere....! 

NB. I should point out here that in general I am not advocating taking one's camera everywhere - in fact quite a few people I know might tell you that in many cases I actually advise against it. Its healthier sometimes to leave your kit alone, be it binoculars or camera and go out and rely on your hearing, your eyes and even your sense of smell. There's no pressure to be technically minded, there's nothing to break or fog up and you'll enjoy the experience just as much - even more so possibly.

That way of thinking was brought home to me whilst on honeymoon in Sri Lanka. Anna and I were at quite possibly my favourite place in the entire world - Yala National park in the very arid SE of the island, bouncing around in a landrover, looking for leopards.

Well.... after a day if searching, we eventually found one, a leopardess which "slunk" quickly across the dusty trail about 100 yards from our jeep.

I had just taken up photography at the time (2008) and had my first ever digital camera on me. Whereas Anna saw the beautiful big cat with her own eyes, I can honestly say, I only saw it through an electronic viewfinder (my first camera, the Panasonic FZ20 only had an electronic viewfinder).

Oh sure.... I got the shot for posterity. (see below). But I never saw the leopard. Not with my eyes...

So.

Whats the lesson to be learned?

Take your camera with you - and turn it on if and when you have time.

Easy eh?