• Uncategorized

    BREAKING! Senate Advances RESTORE the Gulf Legislation

    March 8, 2012 /

    Audubon Advisory
    March 8, 2012
    Vol 2012 Issue 3

    Brown Pelican in Flight
    The damage from the oil spill happened in the Gulf, and Congress should ensure that the oil spill fines go back to the Gulf.


    After months of work, fits and starts, and some late hours last night, Audubon has achieved two huge wins for birds and habitat. The Senate has voted to direct BP Clean Water Act penalty money towards Gulf restoration, and beefed up funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The billions that will go to habitat and restoration will mean more birds and wildlife conservation.
    It’s been almost two years since the horrific BP blowout that dumped millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. Getting BP penalty money to the Gulf—where it is needed most—has been an obvious but difficult road. Without Congressional action, that penalty money goes to the U.S. Treasury. Today we have that action in the Senate.

    The second win means good things for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, newly reauthorized through 2022 and with a strong infusion of much-needed funding—$1.4 billion over two years—for this benchmark habitat conservation/acquisition program, also a long-standing priority for Audubon.

    And to pile on even more good news, a handful of bad amendments — including two that would have fast-tracked the Keystone tarsands pipeline — were defeated.  Attacks on EPA and the Clean Air Act and an amendment to push more offshore drilling could not muster enough votes to win either.

    Audubon members and activists lit up the Senate switchboard with calls in support of the Gulf/LWCF amendment. The Transportation bill will go to a final vote soon. Look for a breaking alert early next week—our emails and calls can help win that critical vote.

    This is an incredibly exciting, pinnacle moment for Audubon and comes from the hard work by loads of people—our wonderful members, activists and chapters among them. Thanks for all you’ve done to get us here; next week we hope to take the next step to seal the deal for the Gulf and a lot of other critical habitat through passage of the Senate Transportation bill!
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  • Bird Accessories,  Bird Houses,  Bird Nesting Materials,  Decorative Bird Houses,  Nesting Material,  Uncategorized,  Unique Birdhouses,  Wood Birdhouse

    Made from wool? Yes, wool… not wood birdhouses

    March 7, 2012 /

    Add these fun wool houses to your wood birdhouses to encourage nest buildingWhile scouring the Atlanta Market in early January, we thought these birdhouses were just too cool! After looking at a gazillion wood birdhouses, is was like “what the heck… wool birdhouses?”

    They were so darn cute, but were they functional like wood birdhouses? Yes, because wool naturally sheds rain. You can provide a real nest site (and killer, unique gift) with these fun & functional wool birdhouses!

    Handcrafted from felted wool and hand-died yarns, they’re made with sustainably harvested materials including sheep wool, hemp and bamboo. And, these fun hand-felted wool birdhouses are created by skilled, Fair Trade artisans in Katmandu, Nepal, supporting both urban and village women.

    If the surface gets wet it will easily air dry, they can be used indoors for a whimsical accent, or outside where birds can make a home to raise their young. Another really cool thing is that some birds will even snag the colorful fibers to build their own nests, and with the mild winter temps, nesting season is already upon us here in the Southeast.

    The 1.25-inch entrance will accommodate chickadees, titmice, wrens, and other small cavity dwelling songbirds. These amazingly cute birdhouses are designed for year-round outdoor use, and will maintain their shape for at least one year, with a longer life span if hung in a sheltered area. The bright colors may begin to fade if left in direct sun for more than two months. They’re a pretty generous size too, measuring 8.5 inches tall by 5.5 wide.

    We can’t wait to hang one in our yard (they’re on their way now) and see who takes up residence, and see which birds enjoy feathering their nest with the bright yarns!

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  • Bird Houses,  Blue Bird Houses,  Bluebird Houses,  Uncategorized

    Monitoring blue bird houses is starting early

    March 2, 2012 /

    Female Eastern Bluebird brings live mealworms to nestlingsBecause of the mild winter, everything “spring” is happening early. Budding trees are flowering and bulbs are blooming, this means nesting season is underway! And we’ve been slammed with orders, not to mention a spring newsletter… yikes! So this guest post is by my room mate, Tango Dressage, kindly helping out 🙂

    Watching blue bird houses is starting early! I only know this because every day my roommate, Beth (The Birdhouse Chick)  grabs her binoculars and looks with anticipation to the blue bird houses to check for signs of nesting.  It’s a yearly ritual that she has fostered by maintaining blue bird houses and feeders, and providing live worms (yes, we have worms in our refrigerator) to attract them to the yard.

    It’s not just the bluebirds though, most all wild birds are welcomed and catered to.  The bins on the screened porch store several different types of seeds, nuts, and treats for every avian diet.  Feeders are cleaned and filled daily (she’s got it down to a science). Several houses built for the needs of different birds are  and maintained to ensure good nest sites too.  The squirrels even have their own area with corn bungees.  Fresh water is abundant, with heated baths for winter, and these cool leaf misters for hot summer days, it looks like a bird spa!

    Until I moved here I knew little to nothing about birds.  After three years, Beth’s passion for birds and caring for animals has given me a new perspective on her.  I thought she was crazy opening an online birdhouse boutique before I really knew her.  After seeing how passionate and knowledgeable about birds she really is, I would think she was crazy not to!

    When you call you are not dealing with a clerk, every order is checked for quality, packed with care and any questions you have answered enthusiastically by someone that really cares that every product is durable and appropriate for your needs.  I guess what I’m getting to is that when you deal with thebirdhousechick.com you’re not dealing with a “big company” or “entity”  You’re dealing direct with the real birdhouse chick.

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