I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned — probably more than once — that this blog subscribes to the photographers’ cliché: the best camera is the one you have with you. It’s the reason I tend to tote the old Nikon with its phallic telephoto lens whenever we’re off somewhere in the car. You just never know when you’ll encounter something worthy of capturing in immortal pixels.

And of course, there’s a corollary to this rule, if rule it is: if you go out without your camera, you’re virtually guaranteed to see something eminently worthy of photographing. And that is what happened today.

It was a dull, chilly afternoon, and I realised at about 3:30 that if I wanted to go for a run with Archie in our usual spot, I’d need to get going and be quick as I had a Zoom call at 5:00. I rushed into running gear and into the car, dragging the poor dog behind me. And get this: I walked right past my bird photography rig sitting on a bench on the verandah, and thought, “nah — no time.”

So of course, negotiating the dirt road that leads to our running route, I looked out of the car window and there, sitting on a fencepost with an air of settled serenity, was an Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis). And the best (and only) camera I had with me was my smartphone.

Now, it’s been a good week or two for the raptors: on a drive down to Jembaicumbene bridge the other day, I counted no fewer than five Nankeen Kestrels. I usually see one or two Black-Shouldered Kites, often airborne and hovering; and the other day I saw a Collared Harrier (I think) as I swept past. It was grappling with some kind of prey in the grassy reserve next to the road, and soon soared away on expansive wings. In all of these cases, having the camera with me was neither here nor there — the birds were wary and not keen — or flying away. But this Hobby? Happy to pose for a full five minutes.

I even had time to reverse the car a little so those houses weren’t in the background.

But that one’s a bit blurrier. The light was failing and time was passing, so I drove on, grateful for having spotted this little gem, while simultaneously cursing my stupidity.

I haven’t had many opportunities to get close to a Hobby: the last time was at least two years ago. There’s no-one to blame but myself, though. The camera will just have to return to its place: within reach wherever I go.