10 November 2025
Happy Belated Birthday to the blog! Yesterday Outside My Window turned 18 years old; I published my first article on 9 November 2007.
Birthdays are a good time to look back at the past year. As of this morning I’ve written 6,652 articles but not all of them are winners.
Typical readership at Outside My Window drops to 700 readers per day in the depths of winter and soars to 4,000 during peregrine excitement in the spring, so I was stunned by a single winning blog post that blew those old statistics out of the water.
Rare Sighting of a Rare Snake brought in 47,488 readers in five days! This is 13+ times the usual traffic for November 1-5 thanks to Jim Chapman’s photos. 39 people were moved enough to comment, some with fear, others with love. I probably won’t see anything like this for another decade.
Another surprise was the sudden interest in an article from January 2015 when 6,700 bots(?) each spent one second looking at That’s Close Enough in late September.
Looking back: What has changed in 18 years? I have, and so has the climate.
In my first article, Waiting for Tundra Swans, I anticipated swans migrating over Pittsburgh in early to mid-November. Eighteen years later the swans come at the end of November because the northern lakes don’t freeze as soon due to climate change.
Thank you! Dear Readers, thank you for your enthusiasm. I couldn’t have blogged every day for 18 years without your feedback. Also a big thank you to all the photographers who let me use your photos. I’ve made a lot of new friends.
Happy Birthday, Outside My Window!
p.s. This is my blog’s birthday, not my birthday. I’m a heck-uv-a lot older than 18!
Congratulations on the blog! It’s always an interesting read and well done. I’ve learned a lot from it. Thanks for using some of my photos over the years!
It’s nice to see some of Chuck’s photos still being used.
Perfectly said.
Happy Birthday, OMW! I have enjoyed your daily blogs for almost all of your 18 years. I wake up every day looking forward to what info I might read. You take us to places that we would never be able to go ourselves. I especially look forward to Peregrine FalconCam time. Please keep up the excellent work….all of your readers appreciate it!
Thank you! I love reading your blog
Part of my morning routine. You always inform and educate. Thanks.
Kate, thanks to your commitment to this blog. To be doing it for 18 years, it’s just incredible. I am always amazed by your ability and creativity to keep us informed and also entertained every. single. day. You have been a part of my morning routine for a long, long time: a blog and a cup of coffee. Thanks again and well done!
Wow. that’s a lot of days to come up with interesting and informative blogs. I am grateful for the knowledge I gain every time I read your blog and I read it every day or go back on a Monday and catch the weekends. Thank you for the blog.
Congrats Kate! I remember first discovering your blog when looking for places to find Loons in Western PA. I googled something like ‘where to find Loons in Western PA’ and I was lucky to find your Loon Fallout article that you wrote on November 19, 2007 (I searched and found it:-). I’ve been hooked ever since. I always learn something and appreciate you for sharing it all. Thank you!
Congratulations! Happy Anniversary
It’s been wonderful learning through someone’s passion. You’ve done a great job over the pass 18 years. Looking forward to more from outside your window.
Thank you so much for your wonderful blog! It is part of my morning routine as well. I have learned so much in the past years.
Happy Belated Birthday!
Awesome! Thanks for all you’ve provided the naturalist community. 🙂
Congratulations Kate! I have learned so much reading your blog. Thank you for taking the time to write it, you are appreciated!