10/3/09

If you've hung up a new bird feeder but still haven't attracted any guests, give it a shot of bright color to get their attention. Tie a brightly colored ribbon at the top of the feeder. Birds will be attracted to the color of the ribbon first, and then will notice the feeder is also a source of food. Once birds have identified the feeder and come back regularly, remove the ribbon.

10/2/09

Tens of millions of birds die every year because they collide into man-made, clear structures like windows and sliding glass doors on our homes. To prevent birds from flying themselves into a painful death, make windows a bit more obvious to them. A decorative idea is to hang sun catchers -- like a reflective agate stone slice -- from wide-length grosgrain ribbon in front of the window. Not only will it look pretty in your home, but it'll indicate to birds to steer clear of the window.

10/1/09

With the air getting chilly, take the opportunity to give wild animals a helping hand. Pull out that old fur coat Grandma gave you years ago, and donate it to the Humane Society of the U.S. They'll recycle the coat into warm bedding for orphaned baby animals. Bonus: You'll get a receipt for the value of the coat for tax-deduction purposes. Visit www.hsus.org for more information.