A chilly Easter weekend in Wiarton without a car left few opportunities to go birding, but the area around the cottage presented a few good birds. Cardinals and Purple Finches were (loudly) laying claim to the yard. A Brown Creeper struck the sliding deck door and spent a few minutes clinging to the screen before coming to its senses. A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was less fortunate, and was discovered lying on the driveway next to the road. I borrowed a vehicle for about an hour for a chance to observe a flock of Wilson’s Snipe in a muddy field at the end of the street.

A female Flicker appeared on the lawn this morning amidst a flock of foraging Robins. Flickers in this area are normally very shy birds, so I was glad for the opportunity to sketch unseen from the living room window.