Merry Christmas!

This post is a little late, but I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday season. For this months post, I wanted to let you preview an excerpt of an article that will be appearing in the latest edition of the BirdBoard.com newsletter. Remember, decorating for the holidays can be fun, but you want to make sure your decorations are bird safe as well!

"During the holidays, there are many new and exciting things we use to decorate around the house that can be as dangerous to your avian friend as they are pretty. We want your holidays to be fun and safe, so we are addressing the common holiday household dangers for 2008.

Among the most common decorations for the winter season, is mistletoe. This often seen holiday plant that harbors such fairytale legend also has a dark side. Mistletoe is part of the Viscaceae family, and the form commonly seen in North America is a hybrid plant of both English and European varieties. Mistletoe is famous for bearing its fruit in the winter months, making it a popular decoration during the Christmas seasons. The red berries that are so trademark of mistletoe are toxic to our avian friends, as are holly berries. Another favorite holiday plant, the Poinsetta, can cause GI tract irritation if ingested. "

Catch the rest of this article soon, coming to an inbox near you!