Happy Bird-day to the Blog!

Crows in flight (photo from Wikimedia Commons, cropped)

9 November 2022

How many crows are in this picture? That’s how many years I’ve been writing this blog.

15 candles for Outside My Window (party crow by Joan Guerin)

15 Years!

After all this time I’m used to getting up early every morning (4am) to write the day’s article, usually from scratch. I hope for inspiration and enough time to do the research, find photos, tie it together with cogent prose, and publish by 7:30am or 8:00am. If you’ve been paying attention lately you know I sometimes miss my deadline. (Aaarg!) Fortunately I get to try again the next day.

In 2014 with seven years of blogging and 2,320 posts I realized that some articles are worth a second look so I started my own re-runs (called “Throw Back Thursdays” à la Facebook). After 15 years I now have 5,545 articles to choose from.

You, dear readers, are why I keep writing every day. I enjoy birds, nature and peregrine falcons and I enjoy learning new things, but it would all be useless without your enthusiasm, comments, and sharing with friends.

And it would be boring text without the great photographers who let me use their photos and videos. A Big Thank You to all of them. See who they are here.

Today’s celebration would not be complete without remarks from a Corvid. A raven (Corvus corax) is stepping in to say, “Happy Bird-day!” and comment on my missed deadlines.

Check out the comments on the YouTube video that explain what his noises mean.

Happy 15th Bird-thday to the Blog!

p.s. Today I beat my deadline by half an hour!

(photo from Wikimedia Commons; click on the caption to see the original. Party crows by Joan Guerin)

31 thoughts on “Happy Bird-day to the Blog!

  1. Congratulations, Kate, on 15 years and counting. Your blog and a hot cup of coffee are how I start each morning. Thanks for the many interesting articles you’ve shared with us and looking forward to many, many more!

  2. Happy bird day! I look forward to reading the blog every morning. It has made me a peregrine fan and increased my appreciation for urban nature watching as well as birds. Here’s to many happy returns!

  3. Hi Kate. I’m a relatively new reader, but just wanted to let you know that I appreciate the work you put into your blog. I’ve learned a lot, and look forward to your posts. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

  4. It has been an amazing journey, Kate, and I for one can’t tell you enough how thoroughly entertaining AND enlightening your awesome blog has been—I’m sure you will receive many grateful replies or comments and well deserved. A joy for anyone alive in my opinion as you have covered SO much territory in those many happy years.
    I felt honored to have contributed any photos you found worthy of including–thanks for that also.
    Don’t think anyone would notice a few late times either so thank you from the bottom of my heart and I love the Corvid spot! Like you they are one of my favorite birds and the pair at Crooked Creek have kept me entertained so often — especially the male or when the pair are courting on the tower. And I remember one of the first times I was entertained by one most likely the male as I parked by one of the orange cement blocks there to photograph him on it and was so close I could see his eyes and feathers so well and nostrils but he surprised me by fluffing out throat and head feathers, bowing and whistling which I had never heard before or have not heard since. We have a pair near where my son and i live and I’m looking forward to seeing and hearing more as like clockwork one or both give out their loud throaty croak often during the day close to or down by the Kiski River. There should be an award for such continuing writings such as yours — hope someone finds a way to make that happen…congratulations…

  5. Congratulations, Kate! Your blog has been a great source of information and inspiration! Many more returns!

  6. Always my first ‘read’ everyday. Congratulations and here’s to always giving us something to think about, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Hope you’re up for 5,000+ more blogs.

  7. Congratulations! Thank you for what you do! It brightens my day and I get to increase my knowledge of the natural world.

  8. Happy bird-thday Kate!!! Thanks for all the great articles and I also enjoy learning new outside facts. Keep up the great work.

  9. I would read your blog no matter what time it appeared. Am so amazed a new one appears daily. A remarkable constant in a sometimes turbulent time. Learn something every time, and am always grateful. Thank you and Happy Birthday to the wonderful blog!

  10. Happy Birthday and congrats on 15 years!

    I thought I’d let you know that I’m in Colorado and I subscribe through an RSS reader and enjoy your posts daily. I hope to get to bird back East some day when we retire, not enough vacation time to go that far.

    Thanks for all the interesting info through the years, I really enjoy it.

  11. Hi Kate! Happy bird day to the blog. 🙂 I have so much respect for you and your commitment to the blog every day. Like everyone else, I have learned so much from reading all these years. I want you to know I pass along the knowledge to anyone who will listen too. LOL My husband, friends and grandchildren have all heard me tell them facts I’ve learned from my “bird blogger”. Even though I’m on the other side of the country, you post about so many varied “world” things, that I’ve always got something to connect to. Cheers to you and many more years of blogging!

  12. Congratulations, Kate. You are a smart, talented and kind person, who I am happy to know and learn from. Wishing you many more years of blogging success.

  13. Happy Birthday, Kate! I am thankful for you and for your posts every day. I am thankful for all of the things I have learned…that without you and this post I would not have. I have been with you from the beginning and will continue.

  14. Kate –

    Congratulations on 15 years!

    2 years ago we bought a 5-acre wooded place in the foothills of Colorado. When I encountered the black, tassel-eared Abert squirrels here I fell in love with watching them and had the thought to write a blog on the natural environment here. Two years of pondering it and my family badgering me to start, I finally got The Abert Essays underway. My research led me to some of your blog entries. Wow! Someone doing the same thing! But way better than me! You’ve been my eastern inspiration.

    Thanks for all your information and insights!

  15. My guess before clicking into the article was 16 years. I knew it was around 2006 or 2007 because that is when I started watching the falcons which somehow led me to your blog. I can’t recall now how I found it but it must have been through an article about the falcons, maybe “banding day”. I have been reading since the beginning and have learned so much not only about peregrine falcons but all things nature related. An award winning blog in my mind. 🙂

  16. Hi Kate,
    I am so grateful for your daily blog. I too, begin my morning with a cup of coffee and your blog. It is such a wonderful way to start the day. Sometimes I share your wonderful information with my students when it ties into our lessons.
    Please know that your blog has fans all over. Thank you for doing this and many happy more years of blogging!

  17. Thank you for the comfort, natural and local beauty, stories, facts, and experiences you share through your blog! I am delighted by the photographs of birds, flowers, trees, and sky. I read your entries with breakfast and share with friends and family. Happy Bird-day!

  18. Happy Anniversary Outside My Window! Kate, I thoroughly enjoy each blog entry of yours every morning. Thanks for feeding my nature addiction (especially the peregrine side of it).

  19. Congratulations Kate! Like many others I enjoy and learn from your daily blog posts. I appreciate the work put into the entries, they are always well written. And thanks for using my photos over the years.

  20. Happy belated Bird Day. I’m recently retired and time is fluid. Your articles are interesting any time of day. All the preceding comments really sum it up. Congrats

  21. Congratulations Kate on your perseverance , your dedication and the beautiful and the informative stuff that you produce every morning.

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