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

An account of Noah Strycker's record-breaking year when he spotted 6,042 of the world's 10,000 species of birds. Traveling to 41 countries, on all seven continents, with a backpack, binoculars and a series of one-way tickets, it was the greatest adventure in birding.

One of the Guardian''s Best Paperbacks of November ''Astonishing ... If by chance you can''t meet these 6,042 species yourself, this book is a close second'' Jennifer Ackerman, author of The Genius of Birds''Even readers who wouldn''t know a marvellous spatuletail from a southern ground hornbill will be awed'' Publishers WeeklyNoah Strycker set himself a goal: to become the first person to see half the world''s 10,000 species of bird in one year. With an itinerary covering 41 countries, spanning all seven continents, and armed with a backpack, binoculars and a series of one-way tickets, he sets out on the greatest adventure in the birding world. Along the way he meets a colourful cast of fellow birders - and discovers a world of blood-sucking leeches, chronic sleep deprivation, floods, war zones, ecologic devastation and conservation triumphs. Vivid, charming and full of wonder, Birding Without Borders is a celebration of passion, exploration and the birders'' ethos that, if you keep your eyes and mind open, you never know what you might see.