Who doesn\u2019t love a nice outdoor light display or a garland with red berries wrapped around the porch railing for the holidays? Outdoor decorations in the gray, dark stretch of winter when the days are short feels like a little patch of joy to come home to. But your holiday decorations can harm wildlife if you\u2019re not careful. Designing your display so it doesn\u2019t catch birds and other wildlife is important\u2014here\u2019s what to keep in mind when decorating outdoors this year.<\/p>\n
Using garlands outside is OK, but fake berries can fool birds and other animals into thinking they\u2019re a good snack. On your porch or front door, some fake berry might be fine, but on trees and bushes, anything resembling a food source should be avoided. Eating plastic or styrofoam berries is obviously not good for wildlife, so you should opt for real berries (dried or fresh) on any outdoor wreaths and garlands. Using a native species is even better, because then if the local fauna decides to snack on your decor, at least they\u2019ll be eating something likely healthy for them.<\/p>\n
Rope lights<\/a> ($21.59)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Colored flood lights<\/a> ($22.49)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Candy cane pathway lights<\/a> ($19.97)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Laser projection displays<\/a> ($39.99)<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Decorations that are made with netting and small wires are also a bad idea because of their tendency to snag birds. Especially fine netting that\u2019s hard for birds to see is a problem. Larger gauge wire that\u2019s less flexible and thus less likely to get wrapped around a creature coming into contact with it is a better choice. You can also choose decorations that are on stiff backing like wood or metal framing instead of mesh to protect local wildlife.<\/p>\n String lights are a big part of holiday decor, but they can be deadly for birds in the wrong circumstances: If you string lights in trees without securing them, birds can get tangled up. If you have a lighted tree or shrub as a part of your display, you should check on it once a day to make sure the lights remain secure and you haven\u2019t caught any wildlife.<\/p>\n Batting and other fibers used as fake snow are another thing to avoid in outdoor displays: Because stringy materials can get stuck to paws and claws, these materials can trap animals. Instead, use painted snow or textured surfaces made to look like snow if you enjoy the look of a wintery blanket, but avoid anything that is stringy or has long fibers in it.<\/p>\n You don\u2019t need to limit your merriment to protect wildlife. Anything that doesn\u2019t resemble a food source to wild birds or have wires, strings, or netting for them to get stuck in is fair game\u2014all the light-up snowmen and giant globes can stay. Even your garlands are OK if they\u2019re decorated carefully. When in doubt, think big. The larger the gauge of wire or the bigger the fake berry is, the less likely it will be to harm a bird. Trade out string lights for rope lights<\/a> so wires are encased in a tube and are unable to snag a passing bird. Use colored flood lights<\/a>, holiday themed pathway lights<\/a>, or laser projection displays<\/a> as an alternative to lighted netting or tangles of wired string lights, and opt for real plants like mistletoe, which is perfectly safe for birds to eat and has the added benefit of helping birds that overwinter in place to stay fed during the winter months.<\/p>\n
Who doesn\u2019t love a nice outdoor light display or a garland with red berries wrapped around the porch railing for the holidays? Outdoor decorations in the gray, dark stretch of winter when the days are short feels like a little … Continue reading
\nAvoid netting and small wires<\/h2>\n
Use string lights safely<\/h2>\n
Avoid stringy fake snow<\/h2>\n
Things to use instead<\/h2>\n
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\nSource: LifeHacker – These Holiday Decorations Aren\u2019t Safe for Local Wildlife (and What to Use Instead)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"