Amidst all the frenzy of our recent summer activity, mostly work related, I neglected to observe a most auspicious date. On August 11, 10,000 Birds turned 4 years old!

That’s right, this blog has been kicking around for four fabulous years, which in blog years seems like four decades. And, if I may be so bold, the site is getting better every month. In the last year alone, we served up over 110,000 visits, roughly a quarter of a million page views, hundreds of subscribers, and hundreds, possibly thousands of links. I’ve also seen 39 life birds if you’re more interested in statistics like those.

10,000 Birds has changed significantly over the last year. The look and functionality of the blog evolved with the long-awaited move to WordPress. Even more momentous was the transition to a group blog; being able to share a milestone like this with Charlie and Corey makes it that much more profound. But ultimately, it all comes down to our readers. Those amazing comments, e-mails, field encounters… I’m sure I speak for my colleagues when I say we wouldn’t do this without you!

On August 11, 2003, I wrote the following:

Welcome to the very first posting of the 10,000 Birds blog. As thrilled as you undoubtedly are, I am even more so. This is my first web log and my first attempt to speak directly to the world regarding our great love of bird-watching. You will be kind, won’t you?

While we (The Core Team) have an enormous interest in birding, we have meager experience. We have a boatload to learn about bird calls, habitat, behavior, etc. We also have yet to meet members of the larger BIRDING COMMUNITY, of which perhaps you, the reader, are a part. This site promises to be a venue through which we can share all of the lessons and observations that accompany what promises to be a life-long learning process. We hope that those of you with experience will be generous with your insights. We also hope that those of you who are also new to birding, or perhaps just flitting around the edges, will learn along with us and share our enthusiasm.

Have 10,000 Birds remained true to that founding intention? And what’s next? What would you like to see more of in the next year?

Little Blue Heron
Good times!

Written by Mike
Mike is a leading authority in the field of standardized test preparation, but he's also a traveler who fully expects to see every bird in the world. Besides founding 10,000 Birds in 2003, Mike has also created a number of other entertaining but now extirpated nature blog resources, particularly the Nature Blog Network and I and the Bird.