Birds, or for them...

So I have been doing some major equipment horse trading of late and at this moment my house looks more like a camera shop than a house.  That statement is never too far from the truth, but right now it really is a camera shop.  I blame my friend John who gave my phone number to one of his friends who just happened to have several boxes of Leica cameras and lenses for sale.  Though I am saving money (I really am) in case of prolonged homelessness, I had to buy all that I could possibly afford.  Certainly, I told myself, "it's an investment!"  That may be the case but I also have to keep remembering that a lens or two won't keep me warm under that overpass...

But boy is all this fun!  I have stuff that I have never seen before and that doesn't happen much anymore.  Some of the equipment is just weird esoteric stuff--more than once I have said out loud (it is just me and all these cameras!) "who knew?  Why would you make or buy that?"  I have found wine helps with these conversations...

One such oddity is a very long telephoto lens, officially a Leitz 560mm F5.6 Telyt with a quick focus mount but you probably already knew that from looking at the picture.  It is a BIG lens, almost a yard long with the lens shade, and longer than that with the rifle shoulder stock.  Talk about scaring small children!  I also don't think that it would a good lens to hang around airports with it as it bears an uncanny resemblance to a rocket launcher.  I think that I had best not be by any apartment windows either...

Since those two pursuits are out of the picture  I have been thinking of what to do with it and I have settled on bird photography.  You know me, always looking at birds and this is the perfect lens.  I first had to try and attract the shy creatures within range, something that I have never been very good at.  I figured I would buy them dinner at a diner, and I didn't skimp--you are looking at the $9.99 Golden Chateau bird feeder, first imported from China and then to Roscommon from the metropolitan and chick  (sorry) town of Graying.  I was not cheep (sorry again) in my selection of gourmet bird chow either.  Nothing but the best, that is for sure.

And you know what?  Not one bird has visited.  Someone suggested a sign announcing the grand opening.  Maybe a "Hooters" sign and advertise their wings.  I don't know but I am very  disappointed.  I guess it would be like you opened up a business and then no one came on opening weekend.  Someone did point out that I was expecting too much.  After all, they said, you have neglected them all winter and didn't even feed them a scrap of bread so they don't know of your generous nature and good cooking.  Give them a few days.

So I will.  It will pass the time as I work on applications and ponder my future.  And I might even get a picture of a real bird!