Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, A Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World
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- Create Date：2022-01-08 08:40:56
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Noah Strycker
- ISBN：1800810113
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Summary
Traveling to 41 countries in 2015 with a backpack and binoculars， Noah Strycker became the first person to see more than half the world’s 10，000 species of birds in one year。
In 2015， Noah Strycker set himself a lofty goal: to become the first person to see half the world’s birds in one year。 For 365 days， with a backpack， binoculars， and a series of one-way tickets， he traveled across forty-one countries and all seven continents， eventually spotting 6，042 species—by far the biggest birding year on record。 This is no travelogue or glorified checklist。 Noah ventures deep into a world of blood-sucking leeches， chronic sleep deprivation， airline snafus， breakdowns， mudslides， floods， war zones， ecologic devastation， conservation triumphs， common and iconic species， and scores of passionate bird lovers around the globe。 By pursuing the freest creatures on the planet， Noah gains a unique perspective on the world they share with us—and offers a hopeful message that even as many birds face an uncertain future， more people than ever are working to protect them。
In 2015， Noah Strycker set himself a lofty goal: to become the first person to see half the world’s birds in one year。 For 365 days， with a backpack， binoculars， and a series of one-way tickets， he traveled across forty-one countries and all seven continents， eventually spotting 6，042 species—by far the biggest birding year on record。 This is no travelogue or glorified checklist。 Noah ventures deep into a world of blood-sucking leeches， chronic sleep deprivation， airline snafus， breakdowns， mudslides， floods， war zones， ecologic devastation， conservation triumphs， common and iconic species， and scores of passionate bird lovers around the globe。 By pursuing the freest creatures on the planet， Noah gains a unique perspective on the world they share with us—and offers a hopeful message that even as many birds face an uncertain future， more people than ever are working to protect them。
Reviews
Raphael Brian
，
Incredible read， loved that he chose to spend time in the Philippines; want to follow-up and check out his blog too！
Barb Purvis
，
Seriously good journey with Noah and his Big Year- I loved his attitude， forthrightness and believable account of his joys and travails。 I learned quite a bit about birds （ of course） and culture and environments and the logistics of taking such a trip。 Highly recommend！
Bedrooped Bookworms
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LOVED THIS
Dorothy
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Taking a whole year to bird every day might seem like a bizarre thing to do for many people， but for those of us wbo would rather bird than anything， and actually do bird every day， it just sounds like a little bit of heaven。 I understand his statement at the end， that he was not sad on finishing his Big Year， because on Jan。 1， every bird is new again on one's year list。 That's why lists are so fun， whether it's a life list， a yard list， a Country list， a county list， or a year list。 The birds Taking a whole year to bird every day might seem like a bizarre thing to do for many people， but for those of us wbo would rather bird than anything， and actually do bird every day， it just sounds like a little bit of heaven。 I understand his statement at the end， that he was not sad on finishing his Big Year， because on Jan。 1， every bird is new again on one's year list。 That's why lists are so fun， whether it's a life list， a yard list， a Country list， a county list， or a year list。 The birds never grow old， and they just represent moments of joy and discovery。 Noah Strycker also shares eloquently the joys of birding with others as well as birding alone。 He was able to find willing and capable birders in every corner of the world who volunteered their time to show him their country's birds。 Birders love to share their time with an excited newcomer。 Noah's goal was to exceed the world record for seeing the most birds in one year， and he exceeded that goal by a thousand species。 He ended up seeing 6，042 different species of birds。 His rule was each bird must be seen by not only him， but by one other person。 This makes the sightings a little more verifiable in the honor system of bird reporting。I loved reading this book， and could have devoured it in a day or two， but drew out the pleasure by taking a month to savor it。 I appreciate his sharing his experience of people， birds， and places in this book。 。。。more
Sally
，
To be honest， I thought this was going to be a rather egocentric account of a man doing what everyone wants to do - take a year off from life and dive into your passion。 Instead it was insightful and delightful！ If you love travel and birds， give it a read。
Cindy Dyson Eitelman
，
Great story of a birder's big year--really big year。 his goal was to break the world record of 4300 species in a single year and not break the bank doing it。 Enlisting the help of hundreds of local experts， enthusiasts and outdoors nutcases， he hopped around a lot of countries and saw a bucketload of birds。 Just reading his species list at the end is enough to make your mouth water。 Wow。The writing is perfect。 Not too long， not a simple "did this， went there， saw that" record。 He picked out a lo Great story of a birder's big year--really big year。 his goal was to break the world record of 4300 species in a single year and not break the bank doing it。 Enlisting the help of hundreds of local experts， enthusiasts and outdoors nutcases， he hopped around a lot of countries and saw a bucketload of birds。 Just reading his species list at the end is enough to make your mouth water。 Wow。The writing is perfect。 Not too long， not a simple "did this， went there， saw that" record。 He picked out a lot of amusing， scary or exciting episodes and told them in amusing， scary and exciting detail。 And a few spaces for personal reflection--why am I doing this？ Where am I going after this？ How will I ever stop？And this quote，So what does a list measure， if not expertise or talent？ Some argue that a list is only a metric of the depth of one's pockets and the free time to empty them。 Those critics have a point， but I think a list is grander than that: besides reflecting how many places a person has traveled， it measures the desire to see those places and those birds firsthand。 A list， in other words， is a personal account of dreams and memories。 It conveys poetry and passion and inspiration。This book， too， is a lot more than birding。 He touches a little--just a little--on human problems in the countries he visits。 But not so much you get distracted from the journey。 He doesn't appear to be the sort of person who gets too hung up on problems， once they're conquered。 I think somewhere in the book he gives advice--if a problem can be made to go away with $20， do it。Of course a book like this has to touch on ecological issues。 Toward the end he travels to see a rare oil in， of all places， a palm oil plantation。 Little did I know，Palm oil， squeezed from nuts produced on squat trees， is used in half of all supermarket products -- including lipstick， soap， chocolate， instant noodles， bread， detergent， and ice cream-- and labeled under a host of names， such as vegetable oil， vegetable fat， glyceryl， and Elaeis guineensis （the plant's scientific name）。 。。。 The stuff is ubiquitous -- it's even an ingredient in biofuels -- but nearly invisible。So that adds another obscure and difficult to detect item to my list of stuff to avoid。 Blast it all！ 。。。more
Barb
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I loved it but I think you need to be a birder to give this book 5 stars。 It could very well be of interest to non-birders but probably not a five-star read。
Nathaniel
，
I loved it！ 6/5 stars！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！！
Jill
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2。5
Christine
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4。5 — a great travelogue that is fast paced and documents the highs and lows of a big year。 I loved reading about how the birding community around the world helped Noah achieve the record。 I definitely recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in birds。 The Peruvian birds and adventures were a definite highlight of this book。 I read this as an e-book and I enjoyed looking up the various birds while reading。 I also enjoyed the specific details of where he stayed and who he went birding w 4。5 — a great travelogue that is fast paced and documents the highs and lows of a big year。 I loved reading about how the birding community around the world helped Noah achieve the record。 I definitely recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in birds。 The Peruvian birds and adventures were a definite highlight of this book。 I read this as an e-book and I enjoyed looking up the various birds while reading。 I also enjoyed the specific details of where he stayed and who he went birding with as it made me dream of doing my own short birding trips。 。。。more
Jean
，
A wonderful book， even if one is a novice birder， or even slightly interested in birding。 The author fully engages the reader ， not only with his with his passion for birding， but also with his experiences along the way ， all over the world， which speak to the wonderful ness of humanity。
Evan
，
This book made me fall in love with birdwatching again。 And for that it earns a top rating without hesitation。 After the first twenty pages I was not convinced by the narrative。 But the story built up slowly and then kept up a warmth through to its end。 Usually with nature non-fiction， the start is captivating， but the middle period becomes dull with detail， but Noel Strycker managed the opposite。 It just got better throughout the book， and he is clearly a skillful writer because the potential f This book made me fall in love with birdwatching again。 And for that it earns a top rating without hesitation。 After the first twenty pages I was not convinced by the narrative。 But the story built up slowly and then kept up a warmth through to its end。 Usually with nature non-fiction， the start is captivating， but the middle period becomes dull with detail， but Noel Strycker managed the opposite。 It just got better throughout the book， and he is clearly a skillful writer because the potential for tedium is high when meeting new birds and people every few pages。 I am not sure how he manages to keep the book feeling fresh， but it is linked to his optimism。 He does not pontificate， and in his words keeps things personal but not about himself。 He often draws great references to other known adventurers， and the feelings he shares during the beginning， middle and end of his journey。His words about his year describe the book better than I can。‘It was， pure and simple， a celebration of birds， in all their fascinating detail， and how fun it is to watch them’。I am a birder， but the deep and narrow type as opposed to the wide and shallow approach necessary for a big year， or more general list birding。 I take more joy in patch birding or watching a specific bird over a period。 And thus， I found the book fascinating as I am not sure I could， or would want to， repeat Noel Strycker’s quest。 Especially in the early chapters， he is constantly thinking of the next move， he must leave a harpy eagle nest， or view a quetzal for a few minutes before moving on。 If I saw either of those two birds， I think I would be setting camp in the place for the day， if not longer。 And then his regrets about spending so long in Tanzania。 Tanzania！ Put me on a safari truck in the Serengeti and I don’t think I could be happier。 And there he was with a sinking heart because he had run out of East-African endemics。 But that is the nature of the list challenge。 The author was fully aware of this juxtaposition。 When he encountered a common poorwill to reach the halfway milestone of his target， he ponders how little its list number conveyed the real-life experience。 And thus， anyone can live vicariously through the author， in terms of the relentless chase。 It is an impressive feat of endurance and strategy。 He did miss a couple of target birds， including the Philippines eagle （a big one to miss） which I think are important moments to experience as a birder。 The world of birds cannot reveal all its secrets in one sitting。The charm of the book， apart from a whistle-stop tour of so many birds I had never even heard of， is the wonderful people he meets around the world。 It was so heart-warming how excited the community were in India as he closed in on the big year record， what a perfect place to do it。 And the birders of Central America sounded like the funniest， warmest， and kindest of people。 Each birding community he visited seemed to take pride in showing off their patches， with generosity and affection。 The few days the author had at home were also lovely， especially his feelings of viewing local birds as his familiar friends – something many birders can relate to。 Is the story of the book ultimately about how hobbies bring people together？ And the most passionate birders forged out a way of making this their livelihood。 To mention just one， the Nigerian/Ghanian birder， Kalu， had a beautiful backstory。 The son of a village king and a semi-pro footballer who became so hooked on birds he could not concentrate on his games because of his passion for watching the skies。 And this was all initiated by a senior Danish birder he met， who introduced him to the wonders of the avian world。My one tiny gripe is that birders resort to looooong lists， they can't help themselves？ OK， I fully get the concept that this book is one long bird quest and so listing birds is necessary。 But he lists everything else too。 The full contents of his bag， some of the mammals he could see in Africa （25 in one sentence！）， every bird with New Britain in its name， every species included in the artwork collection of a birder friend， every virus he could catch in the tropics。 Two or three examples usually suffice for the reader to get the picture。 Yes， lots of mammals。 Yes， lots of viruses。 And yes， I used five examples to show how annoying it is。 The other thing I found hilarious is the pedantry about exact timings of the New Year and whether he lost a few hours by travelling west to east。 And how the Dutch birder， on a big year quest after him， had the advantage of the leap year and the extra day。 It seemed to genuinely grate the author that his 364。5 days was less than the Dutchman’s possible 366。5， not to mention the fact his challenger was using a list with more species than his own （exact separation of bird species and sub-species in lists etc。）。 But it is this attention to detail which gave Noel Strycker such a long list， so it’s a strength as well as a birders quirk。 The writing is good， sometimes poetic。 His description of hushed cloud forests – like hiking through a landscape of freshly fallen snow – was beautiful。 Central America was the midsection of a geographical hourglass， funneling birds on the wing。 There was the clear challenge of meeting so many people and birds that he had to be succinct with descriptions and generally he did a great job of giving us one thing that makes each person and bird different。 And next time I go birding abroad， I will certainly be seeking out more local people because that seems to be the way for the best life experiences。 A brilliant book and a seriously impressive big year effort。 。。。more
Kathy
，
The author would describe the identifying features of different birds， &， not knowing that much about them， I’d kind of gloss over most of them。 However， some of them he would describe & I would go to google to see a picture of the bird， because his description was so detailed & extraordinary – such as a 3ft tall Harpy Eagle & a Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird （！）。 The things he went through to see all the birds were unbelievable & his perseverance in continuing his quest just astonished me。Th The author would describe the identifying features of different birds， &， not knowing that much about them， I’d kind of gloss over most of them。 However， some of them he would describe & I would go to google to see a picture of the bird， because his description was so detailed & extraordinary – such as a 3ft tall Harpy Eagle & a Marvelous Spatuletail hummingbird （！）。 The things he went through to see all the birds were unbelievable & his perseverance in continuing his quest just astonished me。The earth is blessed with such a diversity of plant & animal life！ 。。。more
Cara
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Simply perfect ❤️
Emily
，
I read this book for my Travel Book for the Literary Life Podcast Challenge and I really enjoyed it。 It was an easy， fun， heartfelt， and exciting read for a bird nerd like me！
Nicole
，
This was an exciting read about a journey only a handful of us will take。 I will be lucky if I visit even a few of the places Noah visited on his birding adventure World Big Year。 I lived vicariously through him and his descriptive tales kept me turning pages to see where he was going to next and to read about birds I will likely never see。 His writing is fluid and I greatly enjoyed every page。
Savanna
，
I don’t usually write reviews， but had to for this one。 It’s my favorite book I’ve ever read， and not just because I love birds。 I loved reading about the people， places， and wildlife that Strycker meets during his Big Year travels。 I anticipate non birders would enjoy reading this book just as much given Strycker’s understandable descriptions。 A great read for anyone fascinated by the adventure and discoveries that come with traveling the world。
Redmond Brubaker
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I'm really enjoying these birding big year books！ Great mix of travel adventure， competition， and bird info。 I'm really enjoying these birding big year books！ Great mix of travel adventure， competition， and bird info。 。。。more
Christy O'herin
，
I loved this book。 This is a great book for when you want to travel and experience the world， but also enjoy staying in your own living room。 Noah describes the places and the birds he sees in a way that brings you to where he is。 He draws you in with exciting new and crazy birds， but also pays attention to the small and often unnoticed birds。 He shares triumphs and disappointments。 （view spoiler）[ Although I went into the book knowing he had reached his goal （it is shared in the foreward）， I st I loved this book。 This is a great book for when you want to travel and experience the world， but also enjoy staying in your own living room。 Noah describes the places and the birds he sees in a way that brings you to where he is。 He draws you in with exciting new and crazy birds， but also pays attention to the small and often unnoticed birds。 He shares triumphs and disappointments。 （view spoiler）[ Although I went into the book knowing he had reached his goal （it is shared in the foreward）， I still found myself cheering Noah on as I read， wondering how he would get there！ （hide spoiler）] I recommend this book for anyone who likes birds， or for people who like to read about travel。 It was a pretty quick read and captivated me from the start！ 。。。more
Harmony
，
Loved this book—it made me smile， laugh， and even cry。 Although I picked this book up because I’m a birder， there were so many captivating people and adventures in the story that even readers who aren’t bird enthusiasts might find this to be a fun and interesting read。 The author strikes a great balance between describing the birds he saw and telling （often humorous） travel anecdotes。 Additionally， this book opened my eyes to the many different people who take part in the global birding communit Loved this book—it made me smile， laugh， and even cry。 Although I picked this book up because I’m a birder， there were so many captivating people and adventures in the story that even readers who aren’t bird enthusiasts might find this to be a fun and interesting read。 The author strikes a great balance between describing the birds he saw and telling （often humorous） travel anecdotes。 Additionally， this book opened my eyes to the many different people who take part in the global birding community。 The author resolved to bird with locals everywhere he went， and this goal certainly added interest to an already fascinating story。 I would 100% recommend this book。 。。。more
Marija S。
，
A fairytale for birders but also a captivating and immersive travelog for every armchair traveller who likes to virtually partake in globetrotting adventures。 The author deftly conveys the specific awe and exhilaration a birder experiences when spotting a new find， but also the thrill of search and stress of waiting， the pains of getting up before dawn， suffering exposure in sun， snow， rain， bugs，。。。 just for the possibility of that fleeting glance （yes， we birders are a bit masochistic :））Like A fairytale for birders but also a captivating and immersive travelog for every armchair traveller who likes to virtually partake in globetrotting adventures。 The author deftly conveys the specific awe and exhilaration a birder experiences when spotting a new find， but also the thrill of search and stress of waiting， the pains of getting up before dawn， suffering exposure in sun， snow， rain， bugs，。。。 just for the possibility of that fleeting glance （yes， we birders are a bit masochistic :））Like all good quest stories， it underlines the importance of trust and of help from others， explores the purpose of the quest， challenges the author and changes perspectives on things。 Maybe it will even prompt somebody to buy binoculars and a field guide and start ticking off their local bird list。Fun， inspiring and informative。 I don't think it has too much bird related trivia to appear tedious to a non-birder。 The dedication， love and passion are emotions everyone can relate to。 After all is said and done， this book isn't about birds， it's about people。 。。。more
Kirsten Tautfest
，
A fun ride。
Brian Stacey
，
As an avid birder I was totally enrolled by this tale of obsession and perseverance。 Loved his way of travel and his determination to foster friendships everywhere he travelled。 You don't have to be a hard-core birder to enjoy this read。 I could not put it down。 As an avid birder I was totally enrolled by this tale of obsession and perseverance。 Loved his way of travel and his determination to foster friendships everywhere he travelled。 You don't have to be a hard-core birder to enjoy this read。 I could not put it down。 。。。more
Sydney
，
**2。5， rounded down** I love birding， so I enjoyed hearing about all the birds he saw during his travels， but I got frustrated by the lack of awareness shown of the privileges that allowed him to do this。 There was also a noticeable lack of women in the book。 In fact， it was so noticeable I counted in the acknowledgements of people he stayed with/tour guides/etc through the year: 256 men， 45 women。 （And a lot of the women featured were either in a group tour setting or the girlfriend/wife of one **2。5， rounded down** I love birding， so I enjoyed hearing about all the birds he saw during his travels， but I got frustrated by the lack of awareness shown of the privileges that allowed him to do this。 There was also a noticeable lack of women in the book。 In fact， it was so noticeable I counted in the acknowledgements of people he stayed with/tour guides/etc through the year: 256 men， 45 women。 （And a lot of the women featured were either in a group tour setting or the girlfriend/wife of one of the men。） Solo female travel comes with a lot of precautions and planning， and even then it’s not always enough。 The author， meanwhile， jets off to remote locations， meets up with （mostly male） strangers， sleeps on their couches， hikes into forests and mountains with no reception after having just met， etc。 All this would be absolutely unthinkable for me。 He spends a solid chapter chronicling the history of birding and listing his birding heroes， most of whom are male and British or American。 Reading this， you’d be forgiven for thinking birding didn’t exist in non-white countries before the 1700s or so。 Sure， maybe the hobby as we know it today is relatively new， but you’re really trying to tell me that nobody outside Europe or the U。S。 ever observed the birds around them before the white man came？ Yikes。 Along with that， even though he does make an effort to use local guides and give them his business， the language he uses is still very colonial and conquering: “prowled the jungle，” “raw， undeveloped regions/areas，” “assault the record，” “hungry for exotic stories，” etc。 There’s definitely a sense of othering and exoticism that makes it uncomfortable to read。 I know we’ve come a long way even in the last few years， but this book was published in 2016， not 1950。 Additionally， even though he mentions the heavy bureaucracy of one country in the visa and passport process。。。that’s pretty much it。 He otherwise seems to glide through immigration everywhere he goes， with no acknowledgement of the fact that his U。S。 passport gets him in places many people will never be able to visit in their lifetime。 By the end of the book， I was getting tired of the constant rushing from place to place。 Even though there were beautiful spots mentioned that I’d love to see someday， I’d want to take the time to enjoy them。 Sometimes he gets so focused on checking off birds that he （even admits） that it becomes a blur and he isn’t truly able to appreciate his surroundings。 。。。more
Heidi
，
Excellent book。 Very inspiring and balanced look at travel log， birds， kindness， and good travel ethics。The book may not appeal to non-birders。 If you like it make sure you also read Kingbird Highway。
William
，
Awesome big year narrative。 Crazy story。
Ania
，
What a great book。 Stryker is such a wonderful story teller and his enthusiasm for birds is infectious！
Rebecca Kiefer
，
This was a fun， very readable account of Strycker’s yearlong journey around the world to see as many birds as possible。 This could’ve easily gotten bogged down in bird and/or travel details， but he was adept at choosing which stories to expand upon and which to summarize in brief， and which to exclude entirely。 I really enjoyed that he met up with local birders at almost all his destinations to show the diversity of birders。 I also appreciated how he summed up the adventure - not that he had pac This was a fun， very readable account of Strycker’s yearlong journey around the world to see as many birds as possible。 This could’ve easily gotten bogged down in bird and/or travel details， but he was adept at choosing which stories to expand upon and which to summarize in brief， and which to exclude entirely。 I really enjoyed that he met up with local birders at almost all his destinations to show the diversity of birders。 I also appreciated how he summed up the adventure - not that he had packed a lifetime of birding into one year， but he expanded one year to maximize birding。 。。。more
Patricia。 Duarte
，
This was a fascinating read involving the first hand experiences of a birder on a mission filled with challenges that were met with fortitude and inspiration。
Addie Motta
，