Student SPHere 2008-09

This weekend was finally rain-free. We took full advantage of it by doing a lot of outdoor activities and to avoid thinking about the end of the semester. I can't believe it's almost over. I'm really fine with having another week or two, so I can finish all my projects.

On Saturday we went to the Spring Raptor Release at Hyland Park Reserve in Bloomington. It's an annual event co-sponsored by the Three Rivers Park District and the University of Minnesota Raptor Center. They take injured birds of prey - UMN has one of the best in the nation. You can also tour the facility, which I highly recommend. Today they were releasing one Cooper's Hawk and two Red-tailed Hawks. We sat way back on the top of the hill, so we were able to enjoy a panoramic view of the event.

They also brought out their educational birds, which are birds that have been too injured to return to the wild. They are utilized for presentations at schools, churches, and the like to create awareness about the environment.

The educational birds included a wide range of raptors from bald eagles to peregrine falcons to weeny little hawks.

Some photos of the release. They had a raffle for a chance to release one bird, but we predictably did not win.

They had patrol horses to make sure that dogs were not brought into the park to stress the raptors. Despite the large turnout, it was a calm event, so the horses had nothing to do but get petted. They looked really sleepy, so we took a snapshot.

We also played our last Ultimate game of the season. It was a close game, but we lost. Still, we played well and I'm really happy that I was able to play with a great group of people. I also left my SD card in my laptop, so although I brought my camera, I couldn't take any photos.

I'm both dreading and anxiously awaiting the end of the semester. Last Friday I attended a job fair for the HPM division. It was much better than the job fair at the convention center last March. Hopefully, it gave me some leads for future employment!