- Bird Houses, Blue Bird Houses, Bluebird Houses, Decorative Bird Houses, Uncategorized, Unique Birdhouses, Wood Birdhouse
blue-hued bluebird houses
At first glance, the aged, rustic appearance of these bluebird houses might indicate less than stellar quality…. but looks can be deceiving! Hand painted in rich, cool hues, these solid cypress bluebird houses are top notch – and your bluebirds will think so too.With a 1.5-inch entrance, and proper ventilation in the roof, they’re sized for Eastern Bluebirds with features to keep nests safe and dry. The cypress shingled roof with copper accent is both handsome and functional, deterring water by directing rain run-off. A latched, locking front door allows viewing of nest progress and simple clean-out too. Meant to be post-mounted, these bluebird houses compliment any landscape naturally with style and function.
Although this nesting season is over, one may find bluebirds flitting in and out of nest boxes. Perhaps to scout for winter roosting spots should they decide to stick around and brave winter weather. In North Georgia, bluebirds have over-wintered for several years in our yard. Heated baths and a steady supply of suet and mealworms seem to keep them happy. Three successful broods fledged this past season… and so hoping to see them soon!
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VICTORY! CALIFORNIA SHARK FIN BAN BECOMES LAW
After more than 27,000 sign online petition, Gov. Brown allows AB 376 to become law
SACRAMENTO, CA – Governor Jerry Brown signed the California shark fin ban, AB 376, into law on Friday, making California the the fourth state to pass a ban on the sale of shark fins.Shark finning is a process by which fishermen catch sharks, slice off their fins and tails, then throw the fish back into the water to die. Up to 73 million sharks are killed through finning every year, pushing some shark populations to decline by as much as 90 percent in recent years. About 85 percent of U.S. shark fin consumption occurs in California.
The bill’s passage marks a huge win for the Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance (APA Alliance), an organization that formed to give voice to Asian Americans who support the ban on the sale of shark fins. Bill Wong, a member of the APA Alliance, recruited more than 25,000 people to join a campaign on Change.org calling for passage of the ban. The APA Alliance was one of the bill’s sponsors, organized call-in days, and was instrumental in pushing Gov. Brown to support AB 376..
“We applaud Governor Brown for signing AB 376,” said Bill Wong, creator of the petition on Change.org and member of the Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance. “It puts California at the forefront of the global effort to save sharks led by a broad coalition of Asian Pacific Americans, conservationists, animal rights activists, commercial fishermen, business leaders and artists. The passage of this bill may just be the tipping point that will preserve the shark species and the ocean ecosystem.”
AB 376 passed in the state senate in early September, giving Governor Brown until October 9th to either veto the legislation or sign it into law. Despite lobbyists for fin importers and the restaurant industry pressuring Gov. Brown to veto AB 376, he signed the bill into law on October 7th.
“The APA Alliance started a petition on Change.org in support of AB 376 even before the bill was put up for legislative proposal,” said Sarah Parsons, Senior Organizer at Change.org. “The organization has worked to build momentum for this legislation for months, successfully getting many members of the Asian American community to support AB 376. It has been encouraging to watch people from across the state come together to express their support for a shark fin ban.”
The ban goes into effect on January 1, 2012, but businesses and individuals can sell shark fins obtained before the ban went into effect until July 1, 2013. California is now the fourth U.S. state to enact a ban on the sale of shark fins, joining Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon.
To view the APA Alliance’s petition on Change.org:
http://www.change.org/petitions/join-the-apa-alliance-to-ban-shark-fin-in-californiaTo learn more about the Asian Pacific American Ocean Harmony Alliance:
http://www.apaoha.org/For more information on Change.org, please visit:
http://www.change.org/about
Change.org is the world’s fastest-growing platform for social change — growing by more than 400,000 new members a month, and empowering millions of people to start, join, and win campaigns for social change in their community, city and country.
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blue bird houses and Teal bluebirds?
Back in July, the first fledges this Bluebird Monitor saw happened to be a rare teal shade like their mother. Two months later, Donna captured some great photos, showing what the juveniles looked like in September.Although still molting, their color is phenomenal! While the brilliant blue is most common, rich violet-blue colored bluebirds have frequented our No. Georgia yard in the past. Seriously wondering why their color is so different… maybe they grew up up in teal blue bird houses? Likely not, but there’s got to be some pretty special gene that’s responsible for this gorgeous hue! And here’s the other juvenile from the same brood.
May you grow big and strong little ones! (photos used with Donna’s permission)
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