I registered the domain wolfstad.com just over 10 years ago and this blog has been around for about half that time. I haven’t been writing here as much as I used to, but it’s fun to look back at old posts and see what we’ve done over the years. I was just looking at Google Analytics and checked the most popular blog posts over the last 5 years. Here are 10 posts with the most pageviews:

1. Hidden security tags in Old Navy jeans (01/2006)
2. Quechua’s toss-and-go “Seconds” tents (07/2006)
3. Top 10 budget things to do in Chicago (01/2006)
4. The Rat Temple of Rajasthan (04/2006)
5. Did you know there is beef in Pop-Tarts, M&M’s and Mentos? (09/2006)
6. Top 10 things to do in Tunisia (02/2006)
7. Brilliant bar concept at Footsie in Paris (10/2005)
8. 10 Chicago Firsts: Famous Inventions (01/2009)
9. Top 10 things to do in South Florida and the Keys (12/2006)
10. Woodstock, set of Groundhog Day (12/2005)

My favorite bird is, without a doubt, the Saw-whet Owl. Unfortunately I haven’t seen one in the wild yet, but I have seen a few up close at raptor centers and events. The small owls winter in our area, but they’re very hard to find. I hope to finally see one this winter and will be looking for them every time we go on a walk. They are ridiculously cute:

Photo by BigBrotherBear on Flickr

Photo by Steve Gilchrist on Flickr

Two weeks ago we drove to Sand Bluff Bird Observatory, in Durand IL, for Saw-whet Owl banding. The banding station has been in operation since 1967 and is one of the largest in the region. They caught three birds that evening and we were lucky to witness the whole banding process, from net-run to release. Amy has a detailed report of our visit to Sand Bluff on her blog, and some photos here.

Sand Bluff Bird Observatory founder Lee Johnson with one of the Saw-whet Owls