Jeffro

I think I just peed myself......

Nice pics and congrats on the fish. Love the shot of the gull on the fence post!

Depending on the severity of the ticks he may be alright. The accepted stats on limits for ticks and moose is around 50,000 units. He/she may be suffering from other illnesses related to the transmission from ticks or just trying to get the buggers off. The season for ticks should be starting to slow down so if the moose is this far along he/she should be able to make it through the remainder of the season. As sad as it may be (and as much as I absolutely detest ticks) it is part of nature and ticks have just as much right to thrive as anything else does.

Even the wife (a blonde) got a good chuckle from them....cheers,

Awesome photos Clive and looks like the new camera is treating you well. Can't wait to see the photos when you get your new glass. There should be a large influx of eared grebes and horned grebes in the next week or two so get your shots while you can otherwise they will be gone in a flash.

Ya the family back home is sure swimming in it now. Luckily most of my family was smart enough to live on slightly higher ground. Nothing like literally fishing out your back door (or your window for that matter)!

Wongrs, Unfortunately being in the business I am not allowed to disclose any specifics regarding my specific work without prior consent, but I will do my best to answer your questions (and I do not agree with censorship in the scientific community). One of the biggest problems with windfarm locations is that they are placed where there is a high volume of wind and they will be able to efficiently harness that wind. Usually this will consist of a ridgeline or hill top. Migrating species tend to use these ridgelines during their migrations to help them find their way back to their summer stomping grounds (and on the return trip). This to me is the most underlying problem, because no matter how much you micro-manage where each and every turbine is specifically located, the windfarm is still going to be placed where the bulk of one species or another passes through while on their migrations. There are setbacks for sensitive wildlife (aka a nesting raptors, Sharp-tailed grouse leks, endangered species, etc.), but these simply just provide a little more space for the species affected, not protection from hitting a wind turbine blade travelling over 300 km/hr. Going through the windfarms on the ECP list, at least 3/4 of those in Alberta are right smack in the thick of one of our bat migration corridors. There is also a large volume of passerines that migrate through that corridor. Summerview (one from the list) is actually one of the reasons there is post-construction monitoring going on. They have had what would be deemed major events for kills specifically for hoary and silver-haired bats (around 500). This may not seem like a lot of impact, but if you include the other mortalities seen at the windfarm during the year and these turbines will have a life expectancy of around 25 years, you start to get into a bigger picture of whats happening. Unfortunately not all windfarms are monitored (or at least not properly) and a lot of information is inaccessible or inaccurate. I would gladly continue to ramble on, but it's late and I'm tired. Feel free to PM me Wongrs and I can provide some better insight to what goes on at the ground level.

Well there is a whole can of worms for a guy like myself. Monitoring windfarms (the pre-construction and post-construction monitoring) is a main part of my daily job. Not placing a windfarm in a migration route is pretty much impossible. I will agree that there are areas that see less migration, and have less of an impact on migrating species, but this cannot be avoided. I don't recognize the Environmental Choice Program, and maybe it just hasn't made it's way west yet, but it is a way of batting a blind eye to what is going actually going on and dupe people into believing they are having zero impact energy provided to them. If you ever make a trip to the crowsnest pass (a major migration route for hoary, silver-haired, big brown bats, as well as huge amounts of other species) you cannot go 360 degrees without seeing a turbine. No federal government stopping anything there....or doing anything about it for that matter. Quick edit....Upon reviewing the certified windfarms (which some I have monitored) none of those are outside of a major migration zone, and some of those have had some really bad messes in regards to mortalities... Sorry if this seems like I'm venting at you wongrs, if it does it is not meant to be. Just anger vented towards the ECP. Cheers!

and this also has nothing to do with fire suppression so don't believe the hype people. Sorry hijack over, heres the controls back.....

What they don't tell you is how much CO2 those decaying forests took out of the atmosphere before the pine beetle.

And don't forget all the unregistered users (not sure if they can view the fly tying forum or not), as I am sure they would be a good portion of those views. That and I have viewed this thread at least ten times and if everyone who has voted viewed it about ten times than we would be right around number of views of this poll. I agree that there are too many users who simply don't appear to have the time to click (which takes a few seconds) and show some appreciation for all the hard work and effort put into these polls and amazing ties. Kudos to all involved and if I ever finish my basement reno's (at this point I am thinking it should be done when the Canucks win the cup) I'll be able to set up my flytying room again and start to get involved with these friendly competitions.

If it makes you feel better and I am sure it will Andy......my 'Nucks never made the playoffs this year.....

LMAO

You're supposed to flush the toilet Dave......not let it fester

Where's your Timmie's?!? The photo seems empty without it........other than the monster fish of course

No worries Al, I don't blame you for taking it serious, because it is a serious matter (whether it be fishing or hunting). A zero tolerance for poaching is what everyone needs to help us self-regulate our resources, and keep them around for future generations. Beautiful tom there Monger. I haven't been drawn for turkey yet, but plan on getting out for a gobbler sometime in the next few years. What did the beard go?

There all waiting to see if the flames get passed the first round, otherwise they will be off the bandwagon...jks

I've been trying not to feed the troll, but I agree the attempt at humor was a little over the top. Poaching isn't a joking issue and it's a shame that some try to make light of it..... On a positive note, the sharpies at this lek are kicking it into high gear and it is always a nice treat to watch them for a short period of time at least once or twice a week. They had a coyote (more of a coydog due to it's huge size) sizing them up, but unfortunately for him we blew his cover. Poor bugger really had his heart set on a sharp-tail sandwich Thanks for the compliments on the photos guys, and I'll try to find some more interesting critters to capture a few stills of.

Am I the only one that seems to think the belly has been cut and Dave released this fish onto a Stringer..... Feeding our heads with your C&R lies again Dave.... All joking aside that is a beatiful fish and a nice accomplishment. Maybe one day I will make it out to southern chuck and catch me one of those bad boys (or girls) Nice Fish DD!

Haven't had a chance to get out to watch the turkeys strut their stuff this year, but I will be in the pass this weekend so I may have to stop by a few turkey hotspots. I would like to get out to see some sage grouse, but I don't think I will have the time this year.

Tako I am not associated with the ACA, but I have done sharp-tailed grouse lek surveys in the past, and may end up doing some yet this year too. DBT, that photo essay isn't user friendly for this website.....There is too many sensitive eyes and too much risk everyone would have permanent "issues" form viewing it

Sharp-tailed grouse have been putting their hormones to work for the last couple weeks, and I managed to snap a few shots to catch them in the act of their dirty dancing deed. Spring has more than sprung and hopefully everyone is getting a chance to get out and watch the marvels of nature do their spring cleaning for the new season. Hope you enjoy! Might as well toss in a prairie crocus too...

Irrigation canals and reservoirs (big or small) fall under the general regulations for lakes and reservoirs I believe, unless specific regulations pertaining to the canal you are talking about say otherwise.

Wow I was just about to make a post in regards to outcast's amazing service. I have a pontube that developed leaks on both bladders right on the seam. I sent them an e-mail stating the problem and all they did was reply asking for my address. Checked at the post office today and there was a package and sure enough it was two brand new bladders. They shipped them within two weeks of my e-mail to them. Pontube is up and running again and similar to your case absolutely no charge. Hard to beat customer service like that. Will definitely be buying outcast when I decide to buy a full pontoon! Thanks for saving me the trouble Rusty of making a new thread, you must have electronically read my mind!

Quite frankly I don't believe the reports, if you drive out to them der hills and try to get anywhere you aren't gonna make it far. There is a lot of snow still out there and if our soils get saturated before the runoff begins we're probably gonna be in for a pretty decent flood this year. The only moisture concerns I would be worried about now is getting some rain or snow to give our topsoil a drink. Crops could be in for a slow start if there ain't moisture to get them going and keep them going!