Oh dear!! This is a way old post,sorry, I just now seen this Mike. The tarps i ordered from the company are the brown tarps and water runs right off them. As for water proof that i don't recall put the tarps are heavy duty.. My ponds is above ground and I keep the bio filter hooked up and running all winter. I have already had temps down to 20 and I curently have the tarp on my pond with it rolled back. When the temp rises I roll the tarp back about half of the lenght of my pond to expose the water on sunny warmer days, then unroll the tarp to recover the pond on cold and windy days. Takes about 30 seconds to cover it back up and strap it down. Water doesn't freeze at all when it's covered up. I use two 2x4's laying across the top of the pond to help keep the tarp off the top of the water in the pond. I'll see about getting a picture with the tarp on the pond. Do a search of my name while on this forum and you should be able to find a picture I posted of the pond setup during summer, it will give you an idea of how my pond looks during summer and i'll try and get a picture uploaded of the pond with the tarp on it. Search my name SandyL. sorry for such a late post.

Im so sorry to hear this. Hosting nest boxes can sometimes be heartbreaking, but the rewards are worth it. It sounds like poisioning. Has someone in your imediate area recently sprayed for bugs/weeds? Sadly many people are more concerned with perfectly groomed lawns and gardens than they are about birds and wildlife. Try to find the source. (probabaly the neighbor with the nicest yard)or any comercial buildings. At least you will know what you are dealing with before you decide if you should continue. Good Luck

Pat, I got a dip recipe from here called something like "Buffalo Chicken Dip" but I can't seem to find it. I bet it would be even better with left over wings. It was a layered dip that you baked using cream cheese (?) and hot sauce and cut up chicken and maybe blue cheese dressing? I wish I could find it for you but no luck so far.

My friends introduced me to this recipe a few years back; I'm surprised many of you are just now hearing of it. There's a lot of differenrt variations of it. I went to a small party a few years back and 3 different people had brought different versions! I've had it with canned chicken (not my favorite, but a big time saver); Below's a link for that recipe. Some use a lot more hot sauce than others. I prefer the hotter versions, but it seems the milder versions get eaten quicker -- easier to down if not so hot. Some cube the chicken, instead of shredding it. If you shred, don't shred it too small; it's actually good to be able to taste the chicken. I prefer my sauce made with 1/2 ranch and 1/2 blue cheese dressing. If you're wondering what this tastes like -- well, just like chicken wings. If you want more recipe variations the recipe is often also called Chicken Wing Dip. IMHO, the dip is best served with veggies- celery and carrots sticks, but you can serve with crackers or tortilla chips too. And, it's hot, but the salad dressings and the veggies really do cut the heat. I guess the heat level really depends on your own particular taste and how much hot sauce you decide to use. The dip really does taste like hot wings dipped into ranch or b/cheese sauce. It's yummy and very addicting. Here is a link that might be useful: Buffalo Chicken Dip