Expect some inclemency for awhile. What's the technical term? Oh ya, I remember ... lousy weather. I too wanted to try and get a much better shot of a flicker, but the wind, among other issues, deterred me from making an attempt. Someone else, who posted results on eBird, did manage a few good shots of both flickers and Hermit thrush despite the lousy weather. Someone else posted seeing four Pine warblers at Ashbridges Bay and even succeeded in getting photos of one. If one waits for clemency in the weather department one misses opportunities. I'm such a wuss! Compared to mid-winter, this set back is a walk in the park ... and yet ... here I sit ... fully deterred, disengaged, retired, ineffectual, in-the-shop and wussified, PTI (petrified to indisposition). Inertia and laziness are cruel supervisors. I bet that Pine warbler hunter is a woman, for they doth not suffer so from inertia and latent wussification.
Charline, I'm glad that you can finally wield that big telephoto lens again. Lots of money invested in something that rarely gets used. Next time I'm out and the light levels are good I'm going to try my 2x TC and manually focus and see what happens. I even considered getting a used Canon 7D MK II for under a thousand bucks because it could conceivably AF at f8, although I don't know how well, so that I wouldn't need to resort to manual focusing. Upon further consideration, I figured that I might eventually need to get a R-series camera because of its powerful IBIS and therefore spending a grand on a 7D just makes the other purchase even more difficult. I may need to debate this issue with my imaginary evil twin, who is more intense and forceful, just like Nicolas Cage's imaginary companion in An Abundance of Talent, except I'm in no danger of getting punched in the face. Not yet anyway.
