6 November 2016
Tomorrow Outside My Window will be nine years old.
On anniversaries I like to look back at the past year’s high points. There were quite a few.
- Three posts, written in prior years, continue as perennial favorites. Search engines must be sending folks to these articles when they ask questions such as:
- Have You Seen Any Blue Jays Lately? written on 26 Feb 2012 has attracted 165 answers.
- Glow In The Dark from 8 October 2011 answers the question: What is that glowing green color in the wood? 94 comments.
- Falcon or Hawk? from 19 April 2011 tells the difference between red-tailed hawks and peregrine falcons, a useful thing to know. 65 people have commented.
- Dorothy, the much loved Peregrine Queen of the Cathedral of Learning, reigned from Spring 2001 until late November 2015. News of her death and the video tribute to her life brought nearly 6,000 visits to the blog. If you missed the tribute, here it is: A Tribute to Dorothy.
Spring 2016: Drama at the Pitt peregrine nest kept thousands of you glued to your seats, checking in frequently, and commenting on the latest twists and turns. The new female peregrine, Hope, surprised us several times.
- In March the male, E2, died in a car accident and Hope attracted a new mate, Terzo, bringing 10,400 visits to the blog.
- From April 29 through May 6, hatching and deaths at the nest brought 19,580 visits because:
- The first chick, C1, hatched successfully.
- Hope killed and ate the second chick just after it hatched.
- The third chick, C3, hatched successfully but never thrived and died a few days later. Hope ate it.
- Hope killed and ate the fourth chick before it hatched, Very Abnormal Behavior.
- In August Hope wandered back to Tarentum and other female peregrines checked out the nest. Even in the “off season,” this activity attracted over 3,000 visits.
Since 2007 I’ve written 3,265 articles and you’ve commented 15,246 times.
Thank you, my readers, for 9 years together at Outside My Window.
You keep me going every day!
(painting of Enfant écrivant (A Girl Writing) by Henriette Brown, c. 1860-1880 from Wikimedia Commons. Click on the image to see the original.)
p.s. The bird in the painting is a European goldfinch.
Kate, this is where I start every morning. There’s always something to learn, and you have a wonderful way of explaining things. Congratulations on your ninth anniversary!
Thank you, Jennie!
Congratulations on another year, Kate!
Congrats, Kate! And thank you for sharing your wonderful blog with us.
Congratulations on your anniversary! I always wonder where KSJ has been and what is seen and thouroughly enjoy your insight and blog. Even better is your company on a field trip learning and growing to understand more about birds and nature. Thanks for all you do Kate. Blog on ! Donna
I enjoy reading your blogs each day. Your love of nature shines in everything you write and your passion about the birds is truly impressive! I have learned so much from what you share. Thank you for all you do to increase our wonder of the lovely world around us.
Oh, what you have done for our lives! You have opened our eyes and given us great perspective. Every time we see our surrounds and look to the skies we think of you. Thank you!
Like so many others, reading your blog is how I start my day. Thank you, I’ve learned so much. Congratulations on 9 years!!
congratulations! your blog is wonderful, not only can we keep track of our birds in this area, but your explanations are so clear and easy to understand, both on bird behavior and other natural phenomena. Thanks for the enormous amount of time you spend to educate us and keep us up to date on our natural surroundings.
Congratulations Kate! I don’t remember how I found your blog but it’s the first thing I launch in the morning when I log on to my computer. You and I spend a few minutes together every day you could say! Looking forward to the next 9 years. 🙂
Thanks so much for this blog. Not only is it informative on so many aspects of nature, but rather than just an encyclopedic recitation of facts, the way you write with interest, intelligence, and often a wry humor, or compassion when needed. And then, there are all those pictures! Here’s to many more.
Congrats Kate!! I remember finding your blog when searching to see if Loons migrated through Western PA. I found your 11/2007 blog entry about the Common Loon fallout at Moraine. Every year now I head to Moraine, usually in the Spring, to see the Loons. Thank you for this bit of info as well as the many others you have provided over the years!!
Thank you, Kate, for your fascinating daily reports. It has been a pleasure to see you at birding sites and meetings, and to get to know you on outings.
Kate,
I was watching the Pitt falcon cam this afternoon and Terzo was at the nest. At about 1:00 you could see the shadow of another falcon land on the ledge out of sight of the camera. After a short time, it came into the nest and didn’t act like Hope. I couldn’t see the legs very well, but it didn’t look like it was banded. I took a screenshot of it and compared it to one (of the many) that I have of Hope and it wasn’t her. She has a white chest area with few brown dots and comparing this screenshot with hers, the one that was there with Terzo had more of a cream colored chest with a lot of brown spots. I was just wondering if you or anyone else noticed this.
Thank you and also congratulations on your 9 year anniversary. I look forward to reading it every morning.
Carol D., it does look like a new female. Don’t know who it is. Thanks for pointing it out. Here’s the videomark from Pittsburgh Falconuts:
http://wildearth.tv/videomark/terzo-and-friend-scrape