Author Spotlight: Noah Strycker
Noah Strycker is a writer, photographer, adventurer, and bird man based in Eugene, Oregon. In 2015, he set a record for a worldwide big year of birding and became the first person to record (more than) half of the world's birds in one year.
He has written several books, the latest of which is Birder’s Atlas of the World. Buteo Books is thrilled to have signed copies available (numbers are limited, so snag yours while they last) and to have the opportunity to ask Noah a few questions about the book and birding.
We asked Noah about the inspiration for Birder's Atlas of the World and what he hopes readers will get out of it.
There is no other book like it! I wrote this atlas for birders who are interested in exploring the world ... Whereas almost every world atlas is organized by continents and political countries, this one is grouped by biomes and habitats. From a bird's perspective, human borders don't make any sense.
Was there a region that you were most excited (or nervous!) to write about?
Of all the places in this book outside the United States, the one I've visited the most is Antarctica, having been there more than 50 times. You'd think it would be simple to cover a place with only a few bird species, but that section was tricky to put together. I've found that it's often hardest to write about the things you know best, because there are so many details you want to add. I'm proud of how that section turned out, and it's the very last destination in the book.
Since Buteo Books is located in Marin County, California, we had to ask Noah about birding here!
Years ago, as an intern, I learned how to band birds at the Palomarin Field Station near Bolinas (run by Point Blue Conservation Science). It was an amazing place to be trained with mist-nets, and I subsequently spent a fall season on the Farallon Islands as part of their bird-monitoring crew. Coastal Marin County is still one of my favorite areas in the world to go birding, especially during the fall season when all kinds of rare birds show up there.
What’s a piece of advice you’d share with someone who wants to see more birds?
Here's one simple trick to see more birds: Every time you're about to leave a spot, stand still for 20 seconds and deliberately scan the whole horizon with your binoculars, focusing on the lowest visible sky. I can't count the number of times I've picked up good birds that way, all over the world!
We also asked Noah for a book recommendation. One of his all-time favorites is The Wild Trees by Richard Preston. "It's simply an amazing story, set in the redwoods of northern California," he says. We're putting it next on our to-be-read list!
Last but not least, we asked Noah what else readers should know about him.
I still travel a lot, and like to sketch with ink and watercolors. Every month, I write a hand-illustrated letter from a unique place I've recently visited. You can actually sign up to get my letters in your mailbox — it's a fun way to learn about interesting destinations and travel vicariously! Check it out: www.LettersFromNoah.com