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Feeding birds has become a popular habit, just like tending gardens is. There are those who have seen no point in choosing one over the other and have therefore combined the two hobbies into one. When you tend to turn your backyard into a place that wild birds can feel comfortable in then it becomes a backyard habitat.

When you want to pursue this kind of hobby, you need to understand that birds require the following in order to thrive.

• Shelter
• Protection from predators
• Water
• Food

If you need help in this respect, there are many landscapers who specialize in creating eco-conscious gardens that will include natural plants that will provide food, water and shelter for the birds that you want to attract. However if you want to do it by yourself, keep the following in mind.

Provide clean water for your birds – Water is a natural way of attracting birds. Birds will always look for a water source in order to drink and bathe. It is important to keep your bird baths clean and refresh the water regularly, Use elbow grease to clean the birdbath and refresh the water to stop mosquitoes from breeding in the water.

Provide food for your birds. – Give your birds as much a variety of feeds as possible to attract a variety of birds. You can provide several bird stations so that aggressive birds do not dominate one station and keep away the smaller birds. In order to make sure that your stations are fully occupied put out some Niger seed as a special attractant for finches. Finches are especially loved by most bird enthusiasts. Do not forget to put out some Sunflower hearts as these are a specialty for many birds and will ensure that you have diversity in terms of the bird species that visit your bird feeders.

There are those birds that prefer to feed on insects. These are the most difficult to attract since open bird feeders cannot trap insects at all. The option is to provide a suet cake that has got dried mealworms mixed with other freeze dried insects for these birds to enjoy.

Put out some bird shelters to provide shelter from the elements and predators. The birds may probably become permanent residents of your backyard habitat. Keep as close to the natural order as you can.

Attracting birds to your backyard habitat will be especially rewarding as you watch nature interact and learn the changes in bird feeding behavior as the year goes by.

By: Amber Thompsen

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Hui ethnic group is China’s most widely distributed ethnic minority, with a sizeable population of 9.8 million. Most of them inhabit in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in northwestern China, and there are many concentrated Hui communities in Gansu, Xinjiang, Qinghai, Hebei, Henan, Yunnan and Shandong Provinces.

Chinese is the shared language of Hui people. However, they also retain some words of Arabic and Farsi in daily interaction and religious activities. Hui people living in bordering areas of China often use the language of local ethnic minorities.

The habitation of Hui people is characterized by small scale concentration and wide distribution. The Hui people observe Islamic religion, which has a deep influence in their daily life. Usually a mosque is built and becomes the symbol of architecture in large Hui communities.

Costumes

Hui costumes are under deep influence of Islamism. Men usually wear the Hui style hat, which are small black-colored and white-colored hats without brims; most of the Hui men like to wear white ones. Some of them do not wear hats and instead they wrap their heads with white towels or cloth. There are also some others who wear pentagonal, hexangular or Octagonal hats, as a result of the different branches of Islam they believe in and different places they live in. They like to wear double-breasted white shirts, and some even like to wear white trousers and socks to make them look very tidy, bright and solemn.

Women usually wear white round-edged hats and veils on their heads. Normally the young girls wear green veils with golden edges as well as simple and elegant embroidered patterns of flowers and grasses; the married women wear black veils which cover them from the heads until the shoulders; elderly women wear white ones which cover them from their heads to their backs. The Hui women usually wear side opening clothes; young girls and married women like to inlay threads, embed colors, make rolloffs and embroider flowers on their clothes.

History

Hui is the abbreviation of Huihui Nationality. Its ancestors were Huihui people who migrated to East China after the three expeditions by Mongol people in 13th century, and Muslim immigrates residing in the costal areas of Southeast China during the Tang (618 – 907 AD)and the Song Dynasty (960 – 1276 AD). Through long-time communication (such as intermarriage) with many other nationalities in history, Hui people gradually acquired the customs and living habits of Han, Mongol, and Uygur, and developed Huihui Nationality.

Eating Habits

The Hui people are widely distributed throughout China so their diets have developed differently. However, we can generally conclude their eating habits as having the following 3 features.

Firstly, the Hui people prefer wheaten food to rice food. Noodles are their staple food, and they make various dishes out of wheat flour. Secondly, sweet takes an important role, and this is probably related to Arabian Muslims’ favor for sweet taste. Thirdly, under the influence of Islamism, there’s large consumption of beef and mutton in their diet, and the meat of pig, dog, horse, donkey, mule and beasts of prey is forbidden.

The Hui people are relatively particular about beverages. They only drink water from a flowing or clean source. It is not acceptable for people to take a bath, wash clothes or pour dirty water around the sources of drinking water. The Hui people also like to drink tea and use it to treat their guests.

Taboos

The Hui people do not eat pork, dogs, horses, donkeys and mules. If animals are killed by people from other nationalities or die naturally, the Hui people should not eat them. Only those that are killed by the special cook or the imam from the mosque can be eaten. No jokes about food are acceptable, and any food that is unacceptable by the Hui people can not be used to make metaphors; for example, one should not say that the color of chili is as red as blood.

The Hui people always pay close attention to hygiene in their daily life. If it is possible, people should wash their hands both before and after meals using flowing water. Most of the Hui people do not smoke or drink. People cannot smoke or drink in other people’s homes. One should not bare his or her bosom and arms in front of others. While dining together, the seniors should be invited to sit at the honorable seats, and juniors should not sit together with the seniors on the beds or Kang–hot rock bed, instead they should sit at the edge or just on benches on the floor.

Festivals

The Hui people have three main festivals: Hari Raya Puasa, Eid Al-Adha, and Mawlid an-Nabi. All the festivals and memorial days follow the Islamic calendar.

Hari Raya Puasa (Fast Ending Festival) is widely celebrated among the Islamic communities in China. The feast month of the Hui nationality, which is also called Ramadan, comes in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The festival lasts for three days. On the first day as soon as the foredawn comes, people begin to prepare in a bustle. All families get up very early and then begin to clean the courtyard and laneways, in order to create an atmosphere of cleanness, comfort and pleasure to others. All people, including men and women, young and old wear their favorite new clothes. The mosques are all cleaned up during this festival. Big banners with slogans of Celebrating the Hari Raya Puasa Festival and colorful lanterns are hung there in the mosques.

Different minority will have differnt habits or festivals, take a Minority discovery tours to find more ethnic groups living style and customs.

 

 



By: Mike He

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This is an important part of the Kenyan culture. It unites the forty different tribes and makes Kenya what it is today. The most important custom is the handshake. This is the basis of any relationship in Kenya. It is the initial stage of any greeting process and if ignored, no relationship can grow afterward. After the greeting, small talk proceeds where general inquiries of one’s family, health, business and livestock are asked. Even questions of how the weather of the place you are from are asked.

In Kenyan customs, it is rude to look someone in the eye when having a conversation. This is a sign of lack of respect for the other person. Keeping time is a virtue known only in the west. When someone gives you an appointment for 8, just know that it is either 8.30 or 9. There are no scheduled times when meetings should end too. Queuing at cafeterias, bus stops and other places is a norm that goes without asking.

Nudity is an abomination in the country. Women are supposed to wear descent clothes that cover most of the body parts. Trousers for women are yet to be acceptable to some communities especially in the rural areas. Women are supposed to be under the men and in many places and homes; they are treated as the servant though she is the woman of the house. A woman is not supposed to talk before a crowd of men. She is only supposed to keep quit and talk back when asked to. So are the children.



By: adventure africa expedition

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Bird watching is one of the fastest growing hobbies in the country. To obtain sightings, you can either go to the birds or try to bring them to you.

Bird Watching – Food to Attract Birds

First off, birds want nothing from you with one exception. Food is that exception. Just like any animal, the next meal is nearly always on their minds. Of course, that is true for us as well, but I digress! When it comes to birding, you can go to the birds or bring them to you. If you prefer to have them come to you, an understanding of what they like to eat is important.

The most obvious food that attracts birds is bread. The image of people feeding birds in the park is an age old one and an accurate one as well. While just about any bread will due, you can do much more. Broken up muffins seem to be high on the culinary list of most birds. Cornbread and doughnuts are also known to bring them in.

On a less obvious note, peanuts should be a staple of your feeding arsenal. The peanuts need to be shelled as most birds have problems cracking them given their size. Unlike humans, you should avoid salted peanuts when tempting our feathered friends.

Once you have your peanuts together, you need to give some thought as to how you will present the bait. If you put the peanuts out in an open pile, you are probably going to be disappointed. Birds will simply haul them away to a secret location instead of staying around. Try putting them into the mesh bags you get with onions and then hanging them or tying them to something. Birds can still get the peanuts out, but they can only take a few.

Carrying the theme of peanuts a bit further, you can’t go wrong with peanut butter. Frankly, the stuff is crack for birds. They love it and can’t stay away. The best way to set the bait is to locate holes on your feeder or around the feeding area. Simply fill them up with peanut butter, sit back and watch. The show will start soon.

There are very few ways to attract birds to a location. Fortunately, the desire for food is nearly universal.

By: Richard Chapo

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