IATB #96, announcements, and reflection

I didn't go out to the dyke today because it was raining and I was practicing my driving test this afternoon. (Edit: Sigh. Need to wait another week before I can retake my driving test again).

In addition, my mother is going back to Taiwan for a month or two early tomorrow morning (just past midnight), so I hope she will have a safe and enjoyable trip - even though I know how much she (and I) hates those 12-hours plane ride back to Asia. I will miss the world's greatest mom who truly believes and supports in what I want to do with my life, and enjoys the stories and photos that I have to share every outing. Sigh.

Another news, the latest edition of I and the Bird, #96 is now posted at The Birdchaser. It's a very interesting and creative way of presenting blogs and posts, so definitely go check it out.

That post reminded me that the last time I saw Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) was almost one year ago when I was still in university cramming for exams and scrambling for projects and assignments. How quickly things change in just one short year. A year ago, I was not a photographer-wannabe nor a naturalist, instead I was just a student studying ecology because I enjoy watching nature programs, learning about animals, hiking in parks, and just being outdoors in general. A year ago, my lab partner and I were travelling around the Gulf Islands and the coast of Lower Mainland doing a field project about seastars and mussels, and collecting water samples for chemical analyses.

Black Oystercatchers (with seals floating in the background) in Galiano Island on March 22, 2008. This showed the limit of my photography skills back then.

Maybe I will write about my marine ecology project one of these days when the weather is bad and I have nothing to post. Can't promise anything though.

Have a good day (or night), everyone.

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