Blue Grosbeak!

I was excited to see a flutter of blue in the forest garden today.  At first I thought it was a bluebird, which I haven't seen around here in decades.  It was too big and dull for an indigo bunting, which were around a few years ago.  This was a medium-sized bird, dusty blue with brownish wings and a conical beak.  So I looked up birds that are blue, and I think it's a blue grosbeak.  Apparently they like shrubby habitat, which I definitely have here, and they are expanding their habitat.  

This is the first time I can recall having seen two new species in my yard within the same year.  :D 3q3q3q!!!

Birdfeeding

Today is sunny and cool, really nice for yardwork.

I fed the birds.  We got a new nut-and-berry mix that I put in the hopper feeder, and songbird mix that's mostly sunflower seed in the fly-through feeder.  I also refilled the thistle sock and put out a fresh orange.

The forest garden has been swarming with birds today: goldfinches, house finches, sparrows, cardinals, robins, doves, red-winged and regular blackbirds, a red-bellied woodpecker, a grackle, several rose-breasted grosbeaks, and the new blue grosbeak.  :D 3q3q3q!!!

Round One, we picked up sticks in the savanna so more of that could be mowed.

Round Two, I picked up sticks in the yard by the house.

EDIT 5/12/20 -- Round Three, I trimmed grass around two seedlings in the savanna.

Round Four, I sowed grass seed in various places.

How to Avoid Blisters from Yardening

My annual repost of this is timely now.  I'm annoyed because I only trimmed around two seedlings today before I had to stop due to pink spots. :/  But that's better than getting blisters.

Today's Smoothie

Today we made a smoothie with:

1 cup Looza mango nectar
1 cup Yoplait vanilla yogurt
1 mandarin orange
1/2 cup Private Collection Classic Fruit Medley (frozen strawberries, peaches, mango, pineapple, red grapes)
a blob of Imperial Dragon coconut milk
1/2 cup ice

This one is pretty good, though not as good as some. It's a little thicker than juice, with a pinkish-orange color and a light tropical flavor. Adding the orange may have overcomplicated it a bit.