Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World

An entire year traveling the globe, trying to see as many bird species as possible. Sounds awesome. Or insane. Probably a bit of both. Regardless, that’s just what Noah Strycker did in 2015. As more and more “big year” books get published, it takes more for one to stand out. In order to do so, it needs to deal with an especially interesting location or locations, have some sort of unique device, and/or have exceptional writing. In Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World, his account for this wild year, Strycker meets all three.

The maps inside the front and rear covers of the book, cleverly titled “Noah’s Arc”, depict Strycker’s peregrinations over the course of the year. The tangled line weaves through 41 countries over all seven continents. From a hot tub on the deck of a Soviet-built ship at the bottom of the world to remote jungles to mountains inhabited by gorillas and guerrillas (thankfully the former was seen and not the latter), I’d say Strycker birded some pretty interesting locations. Birding Without Borders is not meant to be an introduction to global birding (for that, check out Global Birding), but if you read it, just be prepared to add many locations to your must-bird list.

Strycker’s year differs from other big years in two crucial ways. First, it wasn’t about the numbers. He maintains that his goal was not to break any records, but to see 5,000 birds. And when he did, he found that “the number of birds mattered less than the satisfaction of achieving what I had set out to do.” He was still trying to see as many birds as possible, however, and the limitations that imposes crop up from time to time, such as having to leave the Philippines without a definitive view of a Philippine Eagle. But this mindset, different from most big year birders, makes the story more about the experience rather than the sheer numbers.

The second way in which this big year differs from others is in the role that other people played. Strycker relied extensively on others, including professional guides, researchers, and local birders. You can see how, practically, this would be necessary. No one would be able to plan out an entire year’s worth of birding down to the day-by-day logistical level. It’s much better to rely on those who know the area best instead of trying to figure out for yourself where the best places to bird – and sleep – are. But these people he met were more than chauffeurs and tour guides, they are an integral part of the story. Strycker uses this as an opportunity to take the pulse of birding and conservation around the world. And what he finds is encouraging.

Maybe it’s my introverted nature, but I would usually rather read about birds than people. But the author is able to weave it all together wonderfully. Birding Without Borders is, simply, a fun read. Whether he’s writing about misadventures on a Peruvian mountainside, the joy of seeing a milestone bird, or the frustration of a near miss, Strycker’s narrative is clear and lively.

Thankfully, this is not a day-to-day journal. Strycker doesn’t even cover every location that he birded (even though I found myself wising the book was longer!). Instead, he provides snapshots of experiences and a synthesis of lessons learned. If you’re interested in more granularity, he provided an almost daily update of his travels on a blog on Audubon.com that is still freely available. The blog is also where you should turn if you’re looking for tips for your own big year.

Recommendation

Noah Strycker considers his global big year, as told in Birding Without Borders: An Obsession, a Quest, and the Biggest Year in the World, “a celebration of birds, in all their fascinating detail, and how fun it is to watch them.” Judging by how many birds he got to watch, he had a very fun year indeed. And, while not on the same level, reading about it is quite fun as well.