Birding Without Borders | Noah Strycker | TEDxSalem

Noah Strycker is a world-record breaking birder, scientist and author. In this talk he talks about his big year and how he set his goal on seeing over 5,000 birds in 7 continents within 1 year.
Interpretation for TEDxSalem V (2018) was provided by student interns through a collaboration between Western Oregon University, TEDxSalem, and the Deaf and interpreting communities of Oregon. The volunteer student interpreters were supported by volunteer, certified interpreters in order to minimize potential errors. Your support of these pre-professional interpreters’ growing skills is appreciated. It all started with the bird feeder.
Specifically, the bird feeder that Judy Kappler attached to her fifth grade classroom’s window at Oak Hill Elementary School in Eugene. Every time a new bird came to visit that feeder, she paused the class to observe it.
One of her students, Noah Strycker, was riveted. So much so that he built his career on birds, writing books about them and pursuing them all over the world.
Strycker has just published his third book, Birding Without Borders, about what’s known in the birding community as “The Big Year” - a competition to travel far and wide to identify as many bird species as possible, whether by sight or by sound.
His first exposure to the Big Year was at the age of 12, when he picked up Kingbird Highway, Kenn Kaufman’s memoir of dropping out of high school to do his own Big Year in the 1970s. Strycker says he “read that book over and over,” but the goal to embark on a Big Year of his own coalesced when he was a student at Oregon State University, writing for Birding magazine alongside his coursework.
When Strycker finally started his Big Year in January 2015, he’d hoped to identify at least 5,000 birds around the world. Watch his video to see if he made it. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at www.ted.com/tedx

[@youtuberz35]

I loved the Birding without borders, and I watched The Big Year with my dad.

[@jamesspahr7534]

Well done and congratulations on your amazing accomplishment! Great point on how birding is the vehicle for us to be exposed to nature’s world.

[@bigpharmasux9786]

Just got your book "the thing with feathers" love it- been at birding a year now

[@vinitamohan]

Beautiful! Poignant. Hilarious. Got the book!

[@mygranmaskitchen6270]

Absolutely wonderful science communicator!!!

[@bigpharmasux9786]

Love your book " the thing with feathers" new birder (1 1/2 yr)

[@chrismoellering695]

Nice talk, thoroughly entertaining book.

[@rhiannonthunell6188]

Love this. I plan on doing my own big year some day.

[@kacperwierzchos6411]

Great talk!

[@dikshantkubal637]

amazing !!!

[@deannabibbee4280]

Read his book it was wonderful. This was the same.

[@KicauPlus]

nice ..

[@GoMoreHike]

Good talk

[@birbcall5778]

and then came Arjan Dwarshuis, who broke this record...go netherlands!