Birding Without Borders

"Even readers who wouldn't know a marvellous spatuletail from a southern ground hornbill will be awed by Strycker's achievement and appreciate the passion with which he pursues his interest." --Publishers Weekly "Strycker's description of a year 'expanded to its maximum potential' will inspire readers to explore the world, 'from the tiniest detail to the biggest panorama.' . . . Colorful but unassuming--and unexpected--lessons for living life fully, presented from a birder's-eye view."--STARRED, Kirkus Reviews "Every generation has a few naturalist-writers who have a spirit as unlimited as their talent--that's Noah Strycker. The sheer demographics of his travels are mind boggling; he stretches life to the limits, and he has an ability to describe incidents of travel, landscapes, and people with splendid and self-deprecating intimacy. This book goes to the top of my life-list."--Howard Norman, author of My Darling Detective "Noah Strycker is a fantastic birder, savvy traveler, and astute observer. Best of all, though, he is a fine writer. I really enjoyed this book."--Mark Obmascik, author of The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession "Noah Strycker's ark is big enough for six thousand birds--and then some!--but just as impressive is the way this gifted gatherer makes room for wonder, joy, and friendship found in far-flung places. This is one of those rare, beautiful books that enlarges the world with adventure and makes it feel, at the same time, like a mysteriously intimate place, inhabited by good people in love with the natural world willing to help a stranger on his extraordinary journey."--Jonathan Rosen author of The Life of the Skies: Birding at the end of Nature "Birding Without Borders is an absolute tour de force. Every birder knows the day-dream lure of exotic species from far-away places, but Noah Stryker turned that dream into the greatest birding adventure of all time. The story of his round-the-world Big Year is one of joy, adrenaline, exhaustion, discovery, and a global fellowship of those for whom, like Noah, birds are everything. I guarantee it will make you want to grab your binoculars and your passport, too."--Scott Weidensaul, author of Living on the Wind "What an astonishing peregrination. If by chance you can't meet these 6,042 species yourself, this book is a close second. Strycker is the perfect companion--smart, thoughtful, intrepid, and at times, very very funny. I loved the birds and the people he met and was sorry when his journey was over."--Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Genius of Birds "Birding without Borders is about bird nerdery taken to a magnificent, even beautiful extreme. Noah Strycker goes from country to country seeking out five thousand species of birds, and that quest is an adventure in itself. Armchair birders like myself, watching a Pygmy Nuthatch watching me, can appreciate the passion and courage that Noah displays."--Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist --