Outside My Window is three years old today.
Back in 2007 I started blogging when WQED’s Web Director, Joan Guerin, said I told good stories about birds and should write them down. Little did I know that my effort would last this long and attract so many readers.
When I began I was afraid I’d run out of things to say but that worry is laid to rest. Peregrines give me more than enough to write about from February through June. Birds, flowers, trees and insects occupy spring, summer and fall. Winter is fallow so I plan a series such as Friday’s Bird Anatomy lessons to keep me going. I thought I’d be done with anatomy by now, but birds have more body parts than I expected. 😉
Outside My Window has done more than I expected, too. Here are some surprising statistics:
- Number of posts since Outside My Window began three years ago: 861
- Number of comments since the blog began: 3,831
- Most prolific topic (nothing else comes close!): Peregrine falcons, 249
- Percentage of this blog devoted to peregrine falcons (amazingly low): 28%
- Most viewed post in the past year: Green Boy Rest in Peace
- Most commented post in the past year: A tie between Green Boy Rest in Peace and New Female Peregrine at Gulf Tower, 47
- My two favorite photos this year: Happy Valentine’s Day and Watch Out Below
- Funniest story: WHAT is he doing?
There’s one more thing I didn’t expect: Blogging has changed my life. I now spend part of every day writing and I even get up early to do it. I’ve made a whole new set of friends — you, my readers — and look forward to meeting more of you in the coming year.
Thanks so much for your support. You inspire me to keep writing every day.
(Birthday crow by Joan Guerin at WQED)
p.s. Do you have a favorite post? A suggestion for new topics? Leave a comment and let me know.
bird-thday
If I’d known I’d have baked a cake. Thanks for all the stories Kate. I’d known about the peregrines before finding your blog, but never watched the top of the cathedral the way I do now. I think I found my way here while googling for where exactly the nest box was located (what side, exactly how high). Well, late last winter after finally figuring out that what I was seeing was a peregrine, checking in has become routine.
And on the peregrine front, yesterday was actually the first day in about a week that I didn’t see a lone peregrine sitting on the highest rung of the cathedral antenna. Every trip out either at lunch or on the way home in the evening, there was a lone peregrine sitting in the same spot. Even through the rainstorm last week it didn’t move. I figured it would have at least found some nook to hide in for the rain. Oh well… 100 or so days and things should really be picking up!
thanks for one of my favorite daily vists…geo.
A big BD congratulations! 🙂 I love your blog! It is a great way to learn more about birds and nature! Good for kids too!
It is cool to learn about the blog’s history.
LOL about peregrine’s being the most prolific topic! No surprise there!
I LOVE the pic called Watch Out Below! Amazing!
Yes, please keep writing! Good job!
Kate,
This is the first time I’ve posted but I want to say congratulations on three years! I happen upon your blog about a year ago and have really enjoyed it and look forward to it everyday. I wanted to tell you your blog last November about being an angel and adopting an orphan squirrel from the Animal Resque Leage really got under my skin and I couldn’t stop thinking I could do this. My husband initally thought I was nuts but we went ahead with it and adopted “My Little Buddy”. I don’t know still if it’s male or female but “Buddy” lived out in my yard in the squirrel box they gave us all winter long. Leave it to me to pick the worst winter in decades to adopt a squirrel but “Buddy” made it and because of the squirrel I now have bird feeders, suet and a ton of wildlife we totally enjoy. Well “Buddy” left in the spring and the box was empty all summer. Well guess who showed up last Friday? My Little Buddy. The opening in the squirrel box was chewed a little larger because “Buddy” is now a full grown grey squirrel. I could write a book after watching him all winter long….if you’re wondering we do know which one “Buddy” is. Thanks Kate for opening up a whole new world to us in my backyard.
Dear Kate–Congratulations on the 3 year anniversary of your blog! I too read it every day and have learned a tremendous amount about peregrines as well as other flora and fauna.
I was recently at Callaway Gardens near Atlanta where they do Birds of Prey presentations several times a day. After one of them, while chatting with the presenter, a couple heard me mention your blog and asked me about it. Turns out they used to live in Pittsburgh and were very interested in it…your circle of readers continues to grow!
Thanks for all that you do for the animals and your devoted readers. Looking forward to more great posts in the next year!! Kathy
Kate –
Congratulations on your 3rd anniversary.
I came to your blog for the Peregrines but have stayed to enjoy all your entries in all their variety. I’ve learned so much. And you’ve changed my life — I’m always looking skyward and draw inspiration from the rich variety of New England’s natural beauty.
THANKS
HB, and thanks!
I am so happy I found your blog. I read it every day and look forward to it. I enjoy birds but I am not as dedicated as you and many of your readers. A real treat for me is the pictures. I have them on my desktop, and in my folders. Keep up the excellent blog and I look forward to meeting you one day.
Steve S
HB!!!! Thanks for including my photos in your blog….I really enjoy sharing and you add so much more info to the photos. I have learned so much too. It’s our anniversary too for moving here to our “perfect lawn and mature trees” to a wonderful habitat for the birds, butterflies and other critters…who knew NINE years ago it would look like this now…totally different and something to see out every window and door…Keep up the great blog and thanks for all your hard work…
CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Happy Birthday and thanks Kate – every morning I log in and read the day’s topic while I’m having my first cup of coffee at the office-it’s a nice way to ease into the day. All of my co-workers are counting the days until the falcons are active once again. Have learned so much from you. Keep up the good work.
Can’t you just see that crow pecking happily at the cupcake?
HB, Kate — your daily blogs are a real treat. Here I think I don’t miss a one, yet looking thru your list today, I found a couple I’d missed — like, the fabulous photo of the vertical peregrine in “watch out below.” Not only are your blogs good at educating us, but I like your writing style as well — always entertaining. Can’t wait for the peregrine saga to begin anew in February.
Oh, and when I check your blog & it’s not a new one yet, I wait a bit & usually you’ll post a new one a bit later.
Quoth the raven, “Happy Birthday and many more years.”
Happy blogday! I look forward to another year of fascinating bird posts.
Happy Birthday/Anniversary, Kate!! May you have many more. I know I will be here everyday checking in to see what is new and what I can learn.
I came to your blog when one of “your off-spring, Beauty” moved into Rochester. She took the place of Rochester’s Queen, Mariah. It was a heartbreaking time for all of the Falcon Watcher’s in Rochester, but what a joy Miss Beauty has become. It was a lesson in the transition of power in the Falcon World, to all who followed M&K.
The fact that Beauty’s mate is one of Mariah’s grandchildren helped make that transition easier. If we could not have Mariah and Kaver, at least their bloodline would continue. Beauty and Archer did a GREAT job this past season for being new time parents. And so your nest and Rochester’s nest are united.
I so enjoy your blog and have learned so much. I appreciate all the time you dedicate to the blog and us, your readers.
I am fairly new to your blog and I feel it fits perfectly with folks like me. I am an amateur naturalist that needs lots of information about all that exists in nature. You have been able to instruct me on many topics that I was clueless about. Will continue to read every one of your posts. — barbara
Happy Happy day for you and all of us who have had a chance to learn and enjoy and participate. You have expanded my world from a little box to the whole big beautiful planet. I have never enjoyed learning more than with you and your wonderful followers. Many more wonderful days and lessons for all of us.
Kate, Congratulations on 3 years of “Outside My Window”! I have learned so much from your wisdom, and look forward to many more stories.
Happy bday. I first found the blog in very late 2007 or the very beginning of 2008 when an article about Erie’s disappearance in one of Pitts newspapers mentioned the webcam site so I guess I’ve been following since just about the beginning. My favortie picture was the one titled “Happy Family in the Sun” or something like that.
Kate — I have been reading your blog for a little over 6 months and it has become like an old, dear friend to me, who I can’t wait to see(read) every day! I have learned so many interesting things about birds and the world in which they live. Your blog and enthusiasm (with a *little* help from the CoL peregrines) have awakened in me an interest in birds that I have never enjoyed before and for which I will be forever grateful!
Keep up the good work and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Anne Marie
PS – My favorite blog and photo? Of course it’s Green Boy… still makes me smile….
http://www.birdsoutsidemywindow.org/2010/06/07/im-tellin-ya-leave-me-alone/
Love your blog (tho I rarely leave comments – sorry about that). I read it daily. It’s taught me plenty about birds and has made me more observant of nature in general. Keep up the fabulous work.
Congratulations Kate. I enjoy reading the blog very much. Could there be a book arising some day from this blog?
Congratulations Kate and thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with us. I have learned so much through your blog not only about falcons but about other birds as well! I particularly enjoy your bird anatomy and bird behaviour posts, so very informative!
Congratulations!
I found this blog a few months ago at the same time I found the falcon webcams at Pitt and Gulf Tower. I didn’t know anything about birds at the time and I’ve never gone birdwatching, yet here I am reading each post as it pops up on my RSS reader. Thank you for awakening my interest in birds!
Congrats on a great blog..and to all my friends in the falcon chats rooms can’t wait until we can chat again..signed whitch
Happy Birthday! I’ve been following since the beginning, sometimes having to catch up with several posts at a time when I can get to the blog. You DO tell good bird stories and give me a great opportunity to take a little “me time” in the chaos!
Happy Birthday! and Congratulations. Thanks for all your work and effort. I enjoy checking for new posts each day and look forward to being educated on some new facet of nature.
Congratulations on the wonderful and very interesting nature stories that you share with us.
In response to your suggestions for new topics I have two to suggest. I think a day a week containing lots of facts about a particular species could be cool. Maybe our Winter raptors? Also, a study of bird camouflage would be interesting.
Thanks for all that you do!
i agree with anne marie on green boy’s “antics” photo and story. it’s so freakin’ cute. what a spirit. the photo of the peregrine looking through the glass for its offspring also comes to mind. i enjoy all of your various entries. thank you for your effort. it is appreciated. HB. ~kc
Happy 3 year blogday and most of all congrats!! I am continually awed at the pics, the information and mostly at your wonderful writing that eases the reader into being truly right ‘outside your window’. You are fabulous !!!!(for more reasons than just being the best sister) I have to agree with some others….a book???.
A book… and then the movie…. do you think Meryl Streep would be a good “Kate”? Hmmmm….
I too have really enjoyed your blog for the past few years. It’s great that you are willing to spend the time to provide everyone with such interesting information. As a topic suggestion, I was thinking that it would be nice to know about migration patterns…which of the birds around here migrate? Are some of the birds we see in the winter the same species but different individuals who have migrated here for the winter from further north, while our birds have gone further south?
For example, when I was in Florida a few weeks ago, I saw blue herons. Then yesterday I saw a blue heron fly over as I was leaving work. Do our herons migrate? Or do they live here year round?
The piece you did on the chickadees was very interesting…I didn’t realize we are on the border between the ranges of the two species. I have to look at mine more closely now.
Don’t ever stop blogging, Kate! Almost all of us here at Fragasso Financial Advisors follow the peregrines. One side of our office looks out on Melon Square, and we see them perching on the trees often. Whenever they come to perch, dozens of pigeons fly away to the window ledges of the Wm Pitt Hotel and the Oliver Building. They sit there, all lined up, until the falcon leaves. We know to look for a falcon perching when there are no pigeons in the square. Sometimes, the falcons come to the park to eat their prey. We watched one on eday, and laughed to see a pigeon feeder trying to scare the falcon away from it’s prey. It gave no heed to the umbrella waving lady.
Following your blog has given us a context to understand what is going on with the falcons. We talk about them as if they were part of our family!