Our fire situation continues to be extreme...

We now have 29 forest fires burning in our Upper Hay Region; 10 of these fires are out of control.

There are 780 firefighters 12 Aircraft and 16 Helicopters and various other equipment and resources are fighting these fires.

Here is the latest update just posted by Forestry - Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development

http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry ... amp;p=d78a

We need several days of rain to help the firefighters extinguish these fires. We have had very little rain in the past few weeks.

SJ.... So glad you are physically feeling better... Hoping your emotions/heart are getting better too...

The view of the St. John River is awesome. What source is it fed from? I could look it up on Maps and find out...
If you answer yes to Debs question about being in the river...Have you been able to do any fishing...or are you not a fisher woman...? LOL I love to hold the rod and that is it. Can't handle putting a wiggly worm on the hook and totally unbearable to take the "poor" wiggly off the hook. I just feel so bad for the

John... What nests do you watch now?

Bev... Holy Moly... you just crack me up. You are NOT passionate at all about hummers, are you?
Thanks so much for giving me the condensed Encyclopedia version... Seriously... that is some amazing information you shared about the cutest littlest bird in the world.

Marg...

Debs... as always ... thanks for the hot lava this morning... LOL
Glad you made it back safe and sound. Looking forward to your pics....

Have a super great day everyone.

Well hi there Sj/Judy! What a great sight to see your post first thing here this morning! And the view of the river that you see every day, magnificent! It is so great to see your post!

Mmmmm and thanks to Debs for sending Roadie and the team out to bring us a sled full of Tims beverages and goodies including the Ice Caps for afternoons! Oh my, lets hope the rains come soon up there to help all those brave fire fighters and that the situation improves very soon!

Hi Marg! I'm sure Pacer is being schooled in high speed manoeuvres by Pa and they will be back to feed later! Keep your camera ready!

JudyLH. I go by the swimming pool and can just barely see the 'let on the far side of his nest. He is mostly hidden from view so no snap shots are possible. And the 'let at the human made nest is also hidden. The home owners are away and the best view is from their deck. I will keep checking for a chance to get up on it since it's only access is from inside the house.

to light candles and walk!

John My pleasure thanks....we have more Ice Caps for later too Good luck ...hope you do get to see the juvies before they leave at least one more time ....and I hope you have a great walk today

Jude I know you and the Dew are headed to Big Bend...please travel safe and hope your adventure brings lots of belly laughs all week long

Marg Wonderful to hear Pacer is soaring the skies and have fun .... I bet Pacer will return for a few more visits

John My trip went very well with a few hiccups and a real scaree moment on the way back .... good news is I saw both juvies in the nest but never got to see either parent I searched for them but never found them so likely they were off fishing ... I so wanted to stay till I saw them but I had to head back because of the fires. The juvies looked perfect so I know Mom and Dad were nearby...there are lots of favorite fishing spots and I could not visit them all.

Bev Thanks it was an interesting day ...so glad I went and am already planning my return trip ....I just wish Mother Nature would bless us with some rain. Thanks for the info on the Hummers .... they are amazing I remember in my youth seeing them at my Aunt Sophie's farm she loved her Hummers and she often educated us on "her hummers" she had names for them all and could tell them apart (or so she says) I have not seen a Hummer up here but they could be here...guess I will just have to plant some Hummer flowers and see if they come.

JL Thanks we are hopeful that this new chemo treatment works!! Thanks it was a beautiful wedding with lots of wonderful memories created and stored in the trunk for a cold winter day it was an elk; I will post a picture of a Moose we saw in June. Enjoy the Adam Lambert concert it will be a blast I bet!! Rumors are flying that he may be an AI judge...time will tell. Sorry to hear about the Doves...that is so sad. I hope the Doves are okay and that they rebuild that nest in a safer location. Have you ever considered putting a structure up for them....a pole with a platform. I have seen many artifical structures erected and its a great option for nesting birds that cannot find adequate places to build. Casper my oldest cat loves the fence he walks it daily. Thanks for sharing some awesome captures of the WE juvies they are simply adorable love them all

A young moose

Pix of Ma and Pa Sidney and one of their kids from yesterday HERE

Elle Thanks for the beautiful captures of Ma, Pa and one of their beautiful juvies ... you must have been thrilled to see all of them; thanks for sharing the link here

JL My pleasure ...we all need to be fed and watered every morning

It was really smokey in Hay River yesterday....Mom and Dad were not visible at the nest....so after spending time admiring and observing the juvies I went to several landmarks where I know Mom and Dad like to fish...

The "Hat" as is known as an area with great fishing...its not far from the nest so I went there first.
You can see the smoke lingering...and how wide spread the smoke is....the smoke is hard on everyone including the birds


Then I went to another favorite spot of Mom and Dad's.....and I saw one adult perched...I think it was Mom.


Both juvies looked well....they were not very active likely due to the heat and smoke!

Hay River Trip - July 16 2012

My trip going was uneventful; I saw lots of activity on the ground and from the air but I felt safe every bit of the way.

Lots of local industries are assisting with the fires too .... every agency is pulling together to support the fire effort which is really nice to see.

The RCMP were positioned at the Zama road blocking all access; and they were also positioned at the entrances to Meander River.

There were staging areas and check points all along the way to protect the public; I felt very safe.

There was a major check stop at the area where the fires jumped the highway in several places. I think this stretch was about 20 kms in length. We idled there for a very long time perhaps 30 or 40 minutes then a pilot car lead us thru this area at 50 kms an hour. It was a slow process but I felt very safe.

When I got to Hay River I decided to fuel up first as I wanted to visit the nest and head back quickly because of the fire situation.

Well went I went to fuel up ... I was informed the whole town ran out of gas on Sunday as part of the CN rail was damaged in the fires so the fuel now has to be trucked in. There was a fuel truck already at the garage replenshing their fuel so I sat and waited. I met another family from HL visiting Hay River too on a day trip waiting for fuel as well.. Once the fuel was down offloading then the pumps needed to be primed so this added to my wait. The employee tried everything to get the pump primed but it was not working all he got was air. Finally the owner said it would take awhile to get the fuel primed as they had run right out of fuel so he suggested I go to another station. So off I went to another garage where I was able to gas up. I was so glad I waited till today to come to the nest....I would have been stranded again.

Then I headed to the nest; both juvies were standing up so I got to admire them. Neither Mom or Dad were visible although one could have been perched out of my view too. The birds were not active at all and just before I left they both sat down in the nest and I could no longer see them...the nest is huge and quite deep. Even the adults get lost in the nest when they are seated. So off I went to search for the parents. I went to several spots where I know they like to fish and perch....finally after several attempts I finally found Mom perched along the Great Slave Lake. Then I decided it was time to head back home. I was so relieved to see the eagles were okay.

My trip home got a wee bit scareey .... one of the fires near Steen River that I had seen on previous trips north seemed very close to the highway.... I even wondered if this was a new fire . There was no check point right at this fire but there is a Fire Station close by within a km or so from the fire..... so I felt perfectly safe. I even saw a helicopter patrolling the area and even saw water being dropped on some of the hot spots.

As I pasted the Fire Station and drove along side of this fire....I started to realize this fire was just too close to the road...I was abit scared. I must say I put the pedal to the medal till I got thru that scareey area. At the next checkpoint that was positoned about 25 kms away where they had the pilot car positioned I gave an update to the staff there and showed them my pictures too. They said that this particular fire may jump the highway and cause another highway closure.

It was quite an adventure...and I was glad to get home.

Helicopter near the Steen River Fire


Dropping water onto the fire; hard to see but this helicoper is directly positioned over the fire or so
it appeared to me



This is the fire that got my attention ... as I had to drive along side of it not sure how far it was from
the highway as trees limited my view...but it seemed very very close I could hear the fire


to our Firefighters and all the agencies supporting the fire effort ... you are ... all heros in my book and we wuv you all

Hi Nesters.. It was another Hot day here..getting overcast now with thunder showers expected..

Judy sj...Wonderful to see you on line... love the view of the St Johns river.. so peaceful and serene.. i can only imagine how lonesome you are at times..happy your getting stronger physically...

ED .. Happy you enjoyed the info.on the hummers..one of the hummer fledged last night but is back today... that is not unusual.. she is trying to get her sibling to go

Judy L.. Yep! i could go on and on about the hummers.. love them .

Debs..I am amazed at the pictures you posted .. i am at a loss for words about those fires.. happy you saw the juvies and Mom.. I believe your Aunt knew all the hummers by name.. if you watch them long enough .. they each have their own little personality.. you should try a feeder in your window next year.. that will attract them..

I saw a hummingbird moth in my bed of lavender plants today... this is only the second time i saw one .. here are a few pictures..notice his long proboscis for sucking the nectar .. has two antennae on the head.. i don't think i captured them very well.... it was very sunny ...CL x 2 for bigger...







Have a good Day Nesters
Hugs Bev....