"Fun" blog stats

The last time I checked, it was still cold, windy, and generally winter-ish outside, so don't expect any fresh, exciting material! Time for a "filler" post.

With my car going in for repairs on Wednesday, I will be confined to Cambridge for the next few days. Apparently my car will crash and possibly injure and/or maim me or any bystanders if I try to drive it long distances, and I don't really want that happening. It's not like I'm missing out on any exciting birding, though! Despite Brandon's optimism, the north winds over the last few days failed to produce much of anything interesting, though I suppose something could very well still be lurking out there. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for an Ivory Gull to show up, but just by saying that I'm afraid that I have jinxed it.

So without further ado, I will talk about some interesting blog milestones...

Yesterday my blog rolled over 200,000 all time page views (the 100,000 mark was reached last September). The most popular month was November 2012, or right around the climax of my big year. The numbers have declined since but I still get a steady readership, even with the lull following a big year. Thanks all for following along!

The top referring blog has always been, and continues to be, Blake Mann's excellent blog. Check it out!

My top two posts (based on page views over the past month) are Dickcissels and Car Troubles (June 11, 2012) and Leavin' this Town for a little while... (April 3, 2012). The third most popular post isn't even close. I have no idea why these two posts are so popular, since they aren't anything special (one of them does not even have photos!) and they were not posted recently. One of the great wonders of the interwebs.

Turns out, a significant proportion of my "audience" is from Sweden. Tack så mycket! 

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Leamington long-range forecast

Above is the long range forecast for Leamington, Ontario. As you can see, the temperatures are finally going to increase and will be maybe slightly above average for the next two weeks. It won't be long til we are overrun with blackbirds, Killdeers, waterfowl, and more in Ontario. Tree Swallows, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Fox Sparrows, etc won't be far behind! I am thinking about making a trip to the Pelee area maybe on the weekend/early next week. While I don't expect to see much apart from the usual suspects for that time of year, I do love making early spring trips to that part of Ontario. Everything is a few days ahead compared to here and it really starts to feel like spring!

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Finally, some rarity news from across the continent...

Northern Lapwings have made an impact on the east coast this winter with perhaps more records than normal. One theory is that the weather systems surrounding and influencing Superstorm Sandy may have brought some over from Europe. Here is the latest example; a bird from North Carolina. It is one species that I definitely still have on the radar as a new addition to Ontario's avifauna. 

Another Slaty-backed Gull - this one from Oswego Harbour, New York.

A Neotropic Cormorant was found in Salt Lake City, Utah. This seems like a really bizarre record, especially in late February! Maybe it is just the first this year in their continuing range expansion north. I think that it is one species that might become more common in the future in Ontario. 

Bruce MacTavish's blog has some distant photos of one of the recent Newfoundland Ivory Gulls. Some additional photos of a different bird, taken by Ian Jones, can be seen here...

That's all I have for now!