Weekend activities - helping a friend & bird-watching

I really should take pictures every single day, otherwise I could not remember what I did each day (unless something really significant happened that day).  For example, I didn't take any photos last weekend and now I couldn't remember most of what I did then.

Well, I did bring my camera with me this weekend to record helping out a friend on Saturday and then bird-watching this morning.

Photograph of a staircase.  I really like patterns and lines when looking up/down stairways, such as these inspiration images (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) captured by one of my favorite photographers.  My image was taken inside one of the biology buildings on campus, but it wasn't very interesting so I replicated and flipped the image next to the original image.  Not too bad.  I need to find more interesting staircases in Ottawa.

Wordless Wednesday - Dead wasp inside, birds and squirrels alive outside.

European paper wasp (Polistes dominula)

Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)

 Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

 

 Barred Owl (Strix varia)

 

Pictures prior to passing my examination

One of the first milestones as a graduate student in the doctoral program is passing the comprehensive/qualifying examination.  This exam is designed to get you to think about your research from a broad perspective, as well as to test your general knowledge about your research.  I have heard different opinions about this type of examination, some said it was fairly easy, while others said they blanked out during the questioning period, got sick, etc.  After months of preparation, I passed my comprehensive exam this morning without too much trouble, and so I am now officially a Ph.D. candidate (I am not entirely sure what am I before this - just a regular graduate student?).

Anyways, due to this nerve-wrecking examination, I have not been out taking as many photos (with my new camera) as I would have liked.  Nonetheless, I still tried to take some photos when I came across critters in my place or during my walk to the grocery store/bus station.

Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) in flight.