Bright back light causes camera shutdown.
There’s always a flash unit in my camera bag. Do I always use it? No–always is an absolute term–just like I don’t ALWAYS use a face mask when I’m out walking the dog. The good thing is that I don’t need to practice “social-distancing” from the camera gear. I saw a homeless bird looking for a studio apartment. Turns out that one was hanging from a tree branch so I had to photograph it. Only one problem: the camera’s light meter tried to get the light back to the middle point and you just know it wasn’t about to happen.
Keep a flash in your bag.
Trusty flash saved the scene while frightening the bird, so the end result is a properly lighted birdhouse but nobody’s home. I thought for a moment that another winged creature might try to worm its way in, but that hasn’t happened–yet.