When a bird falls from the nest, sometimes it needs intervention.

Growing up, we children were constantly bringing in wounded birds. From sparrows to doves to owls, if we could catch, we brought it indoors.

Wear heavy gloves, preferably leather, which will cover your wrists before you pick the bird up. Take care that the bird does not break your skin. Depending on the bird's diet, it could expose you to viral health hazards.

The first thing to do is to put it in a cardboard box, sized according to the bird's wing span. We put in a shallow dish of water and one of millet. Millet is mild and all birds will eat it, including predatory birds. Cover the box with a towel. The darkness will trigger the bird to roost and be calm.

The next thing is call the university. The veterinary school is the best equipped to handle a wounded wild bird. Their facilities have more options than the average veterinarian's office. It is also a treat for the students to study a wild bird which has not been raised in captivity.

Discuss with the veterinary staff whether they feel that this bird will make a good pet before you decide that you want to come back and get it when it is well. Predatory birds do not make good pets, ever. Songbirds can make good pets, provided you have the space they will need. Migratory birds only make good pets if you live in the bird's winter home. They are unlike to survive the winters they flee.

If you leave the bird with the university, ask when they will release it. You can come on that day and wish your bird well!

This is an excerpt from a Helium.com article!

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Creating beautiful art is as easy as dots or holes. Stippling dates back millenia. Want some easy to follow "how to"?

Stippling is the art of creating outlines or a picture using single dots. "Stipple" comes from the Latin word for pierce. Stippling takes two forms: pouncing and piercing.

Pouncing may be done with felt tipped pens (easiest), chalks and pastels (difficult) and super fine paint brushes (expert). To stipple by piercing is to use needles and pins through paper or brads and nails through metal.

Pouncing stippling is the most common form used today. When you choose your subject, begin by drawing the "line". The key to making lines is to space your dots close together and evenly. Touch your pen to the paper perpendicularly, creating one dot. To fill in the spaces between lines, create your dots with enough space between them to insert dots of other colors.

By using the combinations of the color wheel, you can create the illusion of blush on a cheek, the shine on a piece of fruit or the stripes in an animal's fur. By closely spacing dots of the same color, you can create the illusion that the space is completely filled. Remember, dots should never touch one another.

Be careful to make dots uniform in size when blending colors. Larger dots may be made in large blocks of color, but it will show much more of your medium and detract from the overall quality of the work.

Piercing stippling can be done in two different ways: tracing paper design and free hand. Both forms of piercing stippling will allow either color or light through the medium to show the design.

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Birth Control Pills Have Effects After Their Use Is Discontinued.

Understanding how birth control pills work helps to demonstrate the complications of infertility issues once their use is discontinued.

Many women are mistaken into thinking that the fertile month following discontinuation of the pills is a safe time for conception. Typically amenorrhea, failure to menstruate, occurs the month after discontinuing BCP, which mimics pregnancy.

The active ingredient in birth control pills, progestin, a synthetic hormone which mimics the natural hormone progesterone produced during pregnancy, interferes with the pituitary gland's signals to the ovaries. The pituitary gland recognizes the progestin in the body and stops the ovaries from producing enough estrogen to ovulate. This is the reason that, when taken properly, the birth control pill is 99% effective in preventing pregnancy.

Birth control pills interfere with the body's natural ability to assimilate certain nutrients, causing common deficiencies in the vitamins B6, B12, C and folic acid. These deficiencies directly affect fertility. Additionally, folic acid deficiency can lead to a toxic increase in vitamin A, which is a major contributor to birth defects.

Birth defects and abnormalities in babies conceived in the month after BCP are discontinued include, but are not limited to: heart, kidney, vertebrae, anus, esophagus, trachea and limbs.

Modifications of sexual organs, specifically the change from female to male, occur with three times more frequency. Blood bilirubin at increased levels and jaundice are reported in births where BCP were taken shortly before or after conception.

Anecdotal evidence has been presented that BCP may hasten menopause in women who take the pills for more than 15 years and that the quality of eggs is decreased; However, clinical trials have not produced the same effects.

Before taking birth control pills, consult a physician about the possible side effects with reference to later fertility, residual effects that could affect your baby and the lasting effects on your health.

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Recycling is one of the staples of environmental awareness. But recycled toothbrushes?

A recycled toothbrush sounds disgusting until you look a little closer; and it is delivered; and you never have to remember replacing it; and it helps the environment. Let's look into one of the most innovative plans on the market.

Since the production of plastic consumes more oil than any other industry (yes, more than cars), recycling plastic is key to preserving our fragile environment and oil reserves. You ask, "But in my toothbrush?" Sure. Here's how:

The handle is 100% recycled polypropylene from bottles and other plastic recyclables. It has an angled head to produce superior cleaning results and bristles in your firmness. With seven colors to choose and both adult and youth sizes, you order a pack of four. You decide when your toothbrush will need to be replaced. A new one arrives with a postage prepaid (FREE!) return envelope for the used one.

By not breaking the recycling chain, Preserve products are offered at an excellent price, and even the packaging is made from recycled plastic. Add flavored toothpicks and a tongue cleaner, and you have an environmentally sound way to keep your teeth healthy, your breath fresh and the planet green! Their motto is "Preserve your health * Preserve the Earth".

Will someone else use my toothbrush? Yuck! No. The toothbrush is designed with plastic molded gripping rings. Unlike most marketed brushes, that use rubber for the grip that is not recycable, the Preserve toothbrush is 100% recyclable. The virgin nylon bristles and the recycled polypropylene handle are ground into plastic lumber. This is the plastic used for outdoor furniture and toys.

Get more information on why this is good for your teeth, your wallet and the environment! Check out where to find a green toothbrush!

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Tires are the first line of defense for a driver and greatly affect fuel economy. Each of these indicators will let you know when to replace your tires.

1. Less than 7/32 of an inch of tread is left on the tire. Place a penny in the tread. The tread should reach past Lincoln's eyebrow.

2. You have exceeded the number of miles on the tire rating. Tires are rated to travel a finite number of miles as a maximum. Replace tires within 1,000 miles of the maximum rated mileage.

3. You can hear a rhythmic thump as you drive. This is often produced by a tire that is out of round, simply, has a hernia. The steel belting has been severed inside the tire, and the inner layer of rubber is placing pressure on the tread from the inside.

4. You develop a slow leak. If your tire pressure is low within a week of filling it to the correct pressure, you should have the tire checked. Punctures within 1 inch (25 mm) of the edge or in the side wall should never be repaired, as they can cause tire exposion during a blowout.

5. You develop a leak after placing a fixative tire inflater into your tire. If you tire is not at the correct pressure within one week of using a product, such as Fix-a-Flat or Re-Air, replace the tire because it is unable to be patched. The chemicals in the fixative keep the patch material from bonding properly to fix the tire.

Note: Americans will pay a fine for this tire, as after the fixative, it cannot be recycled by traditional methods.

5. You notice a wobbling in your steering. This is another sign that you may have a tire that is out of round.

Read the rest of the warning signs!

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Thought about saving money on your driving expenses lately? Most everyone else has. Here is the compilation of the best practical tips from around the industry on how to save money on gasoline. Luckily, not one of them is "buy a hybrid".

Driving across town to get gasoline at a cheaper price defeats the purpose of saving money! You can get more gasoline for every dollar.

~ Only buy gasoline in the early morning while the ground is still cold.

As gasoline heats, it expands. Since all gas stations have their tanks underground, the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline is. While oil companies weigh gasoline for specific gravity, gas stations do not. Denser gasoline means that your gallon will actually be a full gallon.

~ Pump at the slowest flow rate.

Slowly pumping gas reduces the amount of fumes produced. EPA mandate requires all gas pumps have a vapor return which stops fumes from escaping. When you pump fast, the vapors (still gasoline) are vacuumed back into the gas station's tank and sold again to someone else. You are charged for what goes out the nozzle without getting credit for the gasoline that returns to the storage tank.

~ Keep your tank full.

Gasoline evaporates. The more air in your tank, the faster the gasoline evaporates and breaks down into poorly burning fuel. Lower temperature burning gasoline reduces fuel economy. By design, your tank backfills with air as you burn gasoline. When your gauge reaches half, get to a pump.

Gasoline storage tanks have a floating ceiling to keep zero atmosphere from touching the gasoline. With minimal exposure, the gasoline neither evaporates or degrades before it is trucked to gas stations. Oil companies take this measure to preserve their gasoline, so should you.

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