Camera Saga Continues!!!

I have been in a very bad mood today, which is perfectly understandable really after the week I've had with camera equipment and had more problems today! I pre-warned Eddie when I bumped into him this morning, that anyone that crossed me today would regret it!!!

Last night I googled "Canon 7D error 20" and found to my horror that there was tons of stuff on this problem. Basically there is a 'small batch' of Canon 7D's (Firmware 2 Version) that have the error 20 problem. One person on a forum said the message came up on his camera, stopped the camera working, then it was fine for a few weeks and then it came up again and again! I found so much on this error 20 problem, I decided that I NEEDED to take this camera back to Wex Photographic in Norwich asap.

As I drove to Cley, the sun was rising, it was such a beautiful light. This was slightly spoilt however, by a man shaking his fists in a rage, because a female in a Skoda had overtaken him on a long straight road – get over it! Its much funnier overtaking people in a my new car, than my previous sports car, as people don't expect to see a skoda whizzing past them! Makes me smile! I overtook a BMW later on and the man driving just simply couldn't bare it, I mean its not cool to be overtaken by a little old skoda is it! He overtook eventually!

I had planned to walk Blakeney Point first thing and then drive to Norwich to sort/exchange camera. I hardly ever do BP in the morning, as birds don't tend to fall there until afternoon/late in the day and with a south west wind, it was unlikely that any rares would be dropping in anyway. I wanted to be there in the morning sunshine, just for a change. The sun had just risen totally by the time I arrived at Coastguards and it was a beautiful, sunny morning. Linnets flying round and several house martins skimming through. Pied wagtails were flitting about on the carpark. The NEW 7D (with error 20 on it) was attached to my 300mm lens, so I dismantled it and put the camera body in the box ready to return to the shop later. I attached the old 7D (the one that got wet and then dried and turned on ok) to the 300mm lens and switched it on to find in my disbelief that it WOULDN'T turn on!!! For goodness sake!!! (that's not what I said out loud). Switched it off, switched it on, changed batteries, swopped lens's about, off, on, bla bla bla. STILL not bl**dy working. I leaned against the car and put my head in my hands in absolute despair! I was so p*sssed off by all this, that I didn't have the heart or the will to now walk Blakeney Point. So to sum things up – I had a brand new camera with an error problem and and old camera that wasn't working, then it was, paid £40 odd quid for the sensor to be cleaned, was working and then this morning it died.

Eddie turned up at Coastguards and I seawatched with him for a short while, along with another birder who arrived on holiday in Cley for a week from Berwick. The camera shop didn't open until 10am so couldn't leave until 9am anyway. Eddie picked up a male Snow Bunting at 9.30am that flew past us going west and off up the 'Point' which was lovely. 3 Shags flew west, loads of guillemots and auk sp, 1 razorbill sitting on sea, several cormorants, a few red-throated divers and a few gannets sailing past. Eddie did me a huge favour, in fact we helped each other out – Eddie directed me to Wex Photographic in Norwich (highly likely I would have got lost if I had gone alone) and this allowed Eddie to get a lift to buy something he wanted from the shop.

Arriving at Wex Photographic, I was READY for a huge argument in the shop, if they even dared to suggest that they wouldn't give me another replacement. It couldn't have been more perfect, there was unusually a big queue of people. A big queue of people waiting to buy cameras – they of course would not be happy to hear a disgruntled customer! Fortunately the manager was very nice, and quite sheepish. He didn't look me in the eye and muttered and mumbled when I asked if anyone else had returned any 7D's with the error 20 problem. Its often a good indication that someone is lying, when they can't look you in the eye! The manager changed the camera immediately and I unpackaged it and attached my 300mm lens and fired off some shots in the shop. No error 20 messages came up.

Returned to Cley and had lunch in the visitor centre. I discovered that the old 7D now turned on again! Since getting this camera wet, it's obviously now very unreliable and I am glad I bought a new one, even though I had to return it again today! I then went off and spent a long time skulking round Walsey Hills NOA. I had heard there was a YBW in there yesterday, but all I could hear today was a chiffchaff calling. Caught brief glimpes of  two goldcrests along the bottom path and that was about it really. Bumped into John F. in the carpark and we both went to Gramborough Hill at Salthouse to find only a Parasol Mushroom at the base of the hill, a black-headed gull having a wash and brush up in the pool, and a redshank who posed beautifully for pictures after I had spent a long time stalking him (John left whilst I was doing this). Bumped into John M. just before I left and we discussed 7D's!

Parked at the bottom of Old Woman's Lane and walked to Teal Hide, NWT to sit with Eddie, M.A.G and the man on holiday we met earlier this morning. Heard a bearded tit on route to the hide. A med. gull was seen along with several yellow leg gulls amongst the huge numbers of gulls on the pool.

Back to work tomorrow. Need to ring David at ACS about my old 7D not working properly.

PICTURES TO BE ADDED

Main Highlights in Norfolk – RBA
Snow Bunting, Cley
Sacred Ibis, Salthouse
Yellow-browed Warblers at various locations.
Pied Flycatcher still at Titchwell RSPB (see my post yesterday)
Barred Warbler at Blakeney Point
Lapland Buntings x 5 at Winterton
Black Tern at Waxham