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fatal hummingbird feeders
Some feeders may actually be hiding black mold.
In preparation for the winter season, I recently took down the hummingbird feeders. Prepped for a thorough cleansing in the dishwasher before packing them away for spring, one feeder in particular left me wondering: how does this one come apart? Well, it didn’t, and I proceeded to break one of the perches in trying to do so! I thought it was a pretty decent feeder, with 4 perches and a built-in ant moat, it was purchased from a “big-box store”.
To my surprise, black mold was found in the base, hiding in the recessed areas next to the bottom of the feeding ports. You couldn’t reach it even with the craftiest of brushes. After running this hummingbird feeder through the dishwasher, the ugly black stuff persisted. This mold can be deadly to hummingbirds, and purchasing a feeder that doesn’t come apart was not my brightest idea. Placed in the bin for recycling, this bargain hummingbird feeder is now history. You can bet that any future ones will be be totally disassemble-able!
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heated bird baths…well worth the effort!
Frigid winters can be a tough time for wildlife…survival of the fittest is nature’s rule.Not only do natural food sources dwindle, but shallow pools and ponds tend to freeze, leaving birds and other wildlife without a consistent water source. Some folks believe birds can just east snow to get water, and in part that’s true. But it takes them a tremendous amount of energy to actually convert the snow to water. Energy that could be better spent on staying warm. Birds, like other beings, obtain energy from calories, so this process ends up being a terrible waste of precious calories for wild birds’ metabolisms.
Offering heated bird baths will encourage some species to over-winter in your yard and immediate area. Bluebirds especially, will stick around if heated bath water is readily available. Ground baths are also a great idea, because birds’ naturally bathe at ground level. These heated bird baths can also be quite enticing for other wildlife too.
Innovative birdbath heaters will allow you to convert your favorite bath into a heated one. New materials that are safe for all types of birdbaths make it simple to do so. Even resin, or plastic baths can utilize these heaters, there are heated mats, resin-cased heaters and the very cool Heated Rock.
This winter, consider adding heated bird baths to your landscape, or purchasing a bath heater for your existing birdbath. You’ll help feathered friends thrive and flourish during frigid temperatures, plus catch some quality bird-watching time!
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One woman’s seemingly endless battle…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
One woman’s seemingly endless battle to save innocent animals from vicious acts of cruelty or instant death by electrocution
Isla Mujeres, November 5, 2010 – The life of cats and dogs on this idyllic island is bleak. The local government has a despicable solution–population control by electrocution! Her organization has become one of hope; dedicating itself to rescuing and caring for these abused and discarded animals through spay and neuter clinics, fostering, and adopting.
Alison has spent ten years working with and supporting other rescue groups in the Yucatan. While continually addressing the big picture she has re-housed over four thousand animals, placing them with individuals and rescue groups in the US and Canada. In 2005 she received the Doris Day Animal Kindred Spirit Award and was invited to the first ‘Forum on Small Animal Over-population’ in Mexico City.
Isla Animal’s programs are run totally on donations. It’s Alison’s goal to educate pet owners and provide them with free services and basic supplies, such as food, flea and tick medication, shampoo, collars, leashes and medical supplies. On a typical day she has thirty to forty dogs at her house; most of them are sick and scared from a life on the streets – and these are the strong ones! Islanders drop the dogs off or tie them to her gate, or tourists find them by the side of the road. It takes time and love to get these animals ready for a good home but Alison is prepared to take care of each and every one until she can send them to a better place. Isla Mujeres is a tourist destination so the animals are considered unsightly and are eliminated in an effort to create a more pristine vacation destination. Alison is sure that if tourists knew what was truly going on they would want to do something about it.
Isla Animals desperately needs additional funding so that they may continue their wonderful work. Donations can be made via check, payable to Alison Sawyer, 1750 30th St., #197, Boulder, CO 80301, with ‘Isla Mujeres Animals’ noted on the check, or directly through PayPal. Please visit their website at www.islaanimals.org for more information on this incredible organization and how to alleviate the plight of these desperately mistreated animals.
Alison Sawyer Current is also the author of an intriguing novel, No Urn For The Ashes (Bayfire Press Publishing), and generously donates the proceeds from her book sales to further the care of her extended feline and canine family.
Please Note:
Ascot Media Group is providing public relations services to this humane organization at no charge in their attempt to help these animals in Mexico.
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