10/4/09

While many people eschew wearing real fur because it's cruel and inhumane, they see no reason not to wear faux fur to keep warm on a chilly night. The problem? Many faux fur jackets are actually REAL fur, and are being mislabeled by the manufacturers. The Humane Society of the United States discovered jackets labeled as faux fur were actually the real deal and made from raccoon dogs, which are found in parts of Asia and Europe. These inexpensive fur products often come from China. So, when in doubt, avoid fur -- real or faux -- altogether.

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.