Recent Press

A Little More Conversation with Ben O’Hara-Byrne. Apple Podcasts. Feb. 21, 2024.

Flirt, date, divorce: The robust romantic lives of birds. BBC World of Wonders. Feb. 14, 2024.

Penguin scientist and birder Noah Strycker brings joy of birds to Tallahassee talks. Tallahassee (Florida) Democrat. Mar. 30, 2022.

At Risk: Birding Without Borders w/ Noah Strycker on Apple Podcasts. Mar. 28, 2022.

Spark bird. This American Life. Nov. 28, 2021.

This month’s best paperbacks: Birding Without Borders—Attempting a world record. The Guardian. Nov. 4, 2021.

The pandemic was the perfect time to bird. Except for me. Slate. Oct. 27, 2021.

Well-known birder says his travel is about the people as much as the birds. Columbia Missourian, Oct. 15, 2021.

Noah Strycker on birding. KFRU radio segment, Columbia, Missouri, Sep. 27, 2021.

Gotta See ‘Em All. Eugene (Oregon) Weekly. May 20, 2021.

Birds by the billions: A guide to spring’s avian parade. The New York Times. Apr. 15, 2021.

Protecting the Southern Ocean wilderness: How a network of marine protected areas could help safeguard Antarctic penguins. ECO (Environment Coastal & Offshore). Spring 2021. [pp. 46-47.]

What’s the biggest group of animals ever recorded on Earth? LiveScience. Dec. 19, 2020.

Chinstrap penguin population halved at key Antarctic breeding area. NewScientist. Dec. 8, 2020.

Author and SBU master’s student Noah Strycker chases birds, travels the world. TBR Newsmedia. Oct. 29, 2020.

Disappearing penguins. Greenpeace. May 28, 2020. [Winner of Best Children’s Film at the Wild & Scenic Film Festival, Jan. 14-24, 2021.]

From bowerbirds to great tits, behold nature’s beloved artists. The Asahi Shimbun. May 13, 2020.

The sound of icebergs melting: my journey into the Antarctic. The Guardian. Apr. 9, 2020.

Climate change is starving Antarctica’s most iconic animal. World Economic Forum. Feb. 17, 2020.

Radio interview from Greenpeace ship Esperanza about penguin population decline. BBC World Service World Update with Dan Damon. Feb. 12, 2020.

Preliminary census documents Antarctica’s chinstrap penguins in sharp decline. Smithsonian. Feb. 12, 2020.

Some Antarctic penguin colonies have declined by more than 75 percent over 50 years. CNN. Feb. 11, 2020.

Chinstrap penguin numbers may have fallen by more than half on Antarctic island. National Geographic. Feb. 11, 2020.

Antarctic penguin colonies decline 77 percent in 50 years. Al Jazeera. Feb. 10, 2020.

Alarm over collapse of chinstrap penguin numbers. The Guardian. Feb. 10, 2020.

Climate change is decimating the chinstrap penguins of Antarctica. Time. Feb. 10, 2020.

Acampando en otro planeta. El País (Madrid). Jan. 25, 2020.

Global warming cited as Antarctica’s chinstrap penguin population drops by half. CBS This Morning. Jan. 16, 2020.

Noah Strycker is on a mission to bring birding to the masses. REI Co-op Journal. Dec. 20, 2019.

Grad student Noah Strycker takes on cat-bird relations in National Geographic article. Stony Brook University News. Nov. 26, 2019.

Conversation with a world champion of birding. Stories Here Podcast. May 30, 2019.

Author spends ‘Big Year’ spotting birds. The Madras (Oregon) Pioneer. May 10, 2019.

Nationally recognized author and bird nerd, Noah Strycker, live at Fontenelle Forest. KIOS-FM. Apr. 26, 2019.

He documented a world-record 6,042 bird species in one year. Now you can meet him in Omaha. Omaha World-Herald. Apr. 20, 2019. 

Bird photos featured in Godwit Days talk. Eureka Times-Standard. Apr. 18, 2019.

Atlanta Bird Fest to kick off in April with special guest. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Mar. 19, 2019. 

World birding champion to speak Jan. 5 in Fort Worth. GreenSourceDFW. Jan. 2, 2019.

L’enquête ornithologique d’un écrivain biologiste. Le Devoir (Montreal). May 2, 2018.

An epic ‘Big Year’: Festival of Birds’ keynote speaker set a new world record during his global birding quest. DL-Online. Apr. 29, 2018.

Interview with Noah Strycker for Birds of the Photo Ark. MIX 98.1. Apr. 27, 2018.

Bird-watching Champ Noah Strycker to Land in Petaluma. Argus Courier. Apr. 26, 2018.

Noah the bird nerd. A Beautiful World. Apr. 23, 2018.

Noah Strycker. Conversations Live With Vicki St. Clair. Mar. 9, 2018.

Noah Strycker: National Geographic’s BIRDS OF THE PHOTO ARK. Feisty Side of Fifty. Mar. 6, 2018.

Noah Strycker. WEOL Morning Show. Mar. 6, 2018.

Birder’s international big year inspires winter searching. The Daily Herald. Feb. 2, 2018.

Noah Strycker on his Big Year in Birding, Community, and What to Leave Out. BrendanOmera.com. Feb. 2, 2018

American Birder Noah Strycker Goes on Epic Quest for His ‘Big Year’. WTTW Chicago. Jan. 24, 2018.

The Passion and Peril of Birding (book review). New York Times. Jan. 23, 2018.

Birding Without Borders – An Interview with Noah Strycker. Wild Latitudes. January 2018.

8 Best Books About Birds in 2017. Birds & Blooms. January 2018.

Author Noah Strycker discusses his year-long, record-setting, seven continent birdwatching adventure. Eugene Scene. Jan. 11, 2018.

World Record-Holding ‘Bird Man’ Visits Chicago to Discuss Epic Journey. WTTW Chicago. Jan. 5, 2018.

The Big Year: Birder’s record-setting adventure offers us lessons. The Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon). Dec. 18, 2017.

Noah Strycker: Seeing the world, one bird at a time. TEDxSalem, Nov. 28, 2017.

Un an, 41 pays, 6000 espèces d’oiseaux. La Presse, Nov. 19, 2017.

Birding Without Borders with Noah Strycker. American Birding Podcast, Nov. 16, 2017.

Interview with Deborah Kalb. Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb, Nov. 13, 2017.

How to Become a Bird Watching Enthusiast with Help from Bird Expert Noah Strycker. The Vegetable Gardening Show, Nov. 6, 2017.

L’observation des oiseaux peut-elle devenir une maladie? Radio Canada, Oct. 31, 2017.

Birder’s Eye View: The Big Year and the Big Sit. Bluffton Today (Bluffton, Georgia), Oct. 17, 2017.

A Birding Q&A with Noah Strycker. A Way to Garden, Oct. 14, 2017.

Read an Excerpt From Noah Strycker’s Book on His Record-Breaking Year of Birds. Audubon, Oct. 11, 2017.

Birdman from Oregon. (Malaysia) New Straits Times, Oct 8, 2017.

Birder who spotted 6,000 species in one year to visit Roseburg. (Roseburg, Oregon) News Review, Oct. 3, 2017.

Birding Without Borders. Cornell Lab of Ornithology Monday Night Seminars video, Oct. 2, 2017.

How to Bird Without Borders. Wisconsin Public Radio, Sept. 28, 2017.

Following the Birds. North Coast Land Conservancy (Oregon), Sept. 27, 2017. 

Rockstar of Birding World Coming to Area. The Morning Call (Allentown, Pennsylvania), Sept. 27, 2017.

The Flight Stuff: Bird Watching Soars on Digital Wings. C-Net, Sept. 6, 2017.

Birding without Borders: Noah Strycker’s Global Adventure. KLCC radio, Aug. 25, 2017.

Big Birder: Noah Strycker on Where to Spot Rare Species. The New York Times, April 20, 2017.

Record-setting bird-watcher shares exploits at Vancouver talk. The Columbian, April 5, 2017.

Adventurer of the Week: Record-setting birder landing in Tacoma. (Tacoma) News-Tribune, March 24,2017.

Are These the Ultimate Travelers? BBC, March 21, 2017.

Birding Takes Flight in New Millennium. London Free Press (Canada), July 21, 2016.

Rare Visit to Taiwan by Siberian Crane Is a Bird-Watcher’s Dream. New York Times, June 3, 2016.

Eugene Birder Says Militants Have No Right To Be At Malheur. KLCC radio, Jan. 11, 2016

Birdwatchers Have Their Feathers Ruffled Over Oregon Occupiers. VICE News, Jan. 11, 2016

Angry Birders: Standoff at Oregon Refuge Has Riled a Passionate Group. New York Times, Jan. 8, 2016

Interview on American Public Media’s nationally broadcast show The Dinner Party Download, March 2014.

Interview with KUOW in Seattle (with owl calls!), March 2014.

Interview with Wisconsin Public Radio, May 2014.

Noah Strycker, Accomplished ‘Birder,’ Talks About How Studying Abroad Changed His Life (AUIP, October 2011)

The 2,650-mile Summer on the Pacific Crest  Trail (Register-Guard, October 2011)

From Mexico to Canada on Foot in 123 Days (KVAL TV, September 2011)

Birder-at-Large Noah Strycker Completes Pacific Crest Trail (Creswell Chronicle, September 2011)

OSU Grad Noah Strycker Pens Book On Antarctica Trek to Study Penguins (Corvallis Gazette-Times, April 2011)

Noah Strycker’s Three Months Among Penguins (Creswell Chronicle, April 2011)

Birding Prodigy from Eugene Writes Book About Penguins (KVAL TV, February 2011)

Notes from the Ends of the Earth: ‘Bird Bum’ Chronicles Three-Month Adventure in Antarctica (Register-Guard, February 2011)

On Ice with Penguins in Antarctica: Noah K. Strycker is an Extreme Birder (National Wildlife magazine, January 2010)

Creswell’s ‘Bird Boy’ is Back After Adventure in Antarctica (Creswell Chronicle, March 2009)

Addicted to Birds: Oregonian Chases Passion, Penguins in Antarctica (The Oregonian, January 2009)

Noah Strycker’s Antarctic Life is for the Birds (The Washington Post, December 2008)

Blog-erview with Noah Strycker (WildBird magazine, February 2008)

Profile: Noah Strycker (Oregon’s Agricultural Progress magazine, Fall 2007)

Commentator, Living On Earth national radio program, May 18, 2007: “Birding … with an iPod?”

OSU Student’s Bird Savvy Helps Snare $5,000 Scholarship (Oregon State University, Fall 2006)

Press for the 2015 World Big Year

Oregon’s Bird Man Sets New Record (Oct. 30, 2017). Portland Tribune.

Noah Strycker’s really big year: Breaking birding’s biggest record only part of the adventure for Oregon man (Sept. 17, 2017). Corvallis Gazette-Times.

Bird Man (Feb. 2017). Longreads.

In 2015, Noah Strycker set a new Big Year world record (August 15, 2016). Outlook, BBC World Service Radio.

Meet Noah Strycker, the World’s Greatest Birdwatcher (May 27, 2016). The (U.K.) Independent.

The Biggest Big Year (April 2016). Men’s Journal.

Creswell Man Sets New Birding Record (Feb. 9, 2016). KEZI.com.

6 Things We Learned From Record Holding Birder Noah Strycker (Feb. 2, 2016). Oregon Public Broadcasting Think Out Loud.

“Talking Naturally” podcast interview with Noah (Jan. 25, 2016). Episode 19: A Bigger Picture

Birder Noah Strycker Reflects On His Record-breaking “Big Year”(Jan. 15, 2016). KLCC radio, Eugene, Oregon

Een jaar lang vogels spotten [A year of birdwatching] (Jan. 12, 2016). New Scientist.

A World Record Big Year for Birds. Slate (Jan. 8, 2016). Slate.

The Bird-Watcher: One guy sees more than 5,800 birds in a year (Dec. 31, 2015). The Record [New Jersey, USA] newspaper.

Congratulations, Noah Strycker! 6,000+ species in 2015 (Dec. 30, 2015). The ABA Blog.

Congratulations, Noah Strycker! 6,000+ species in 2015 (Dec. 30, 2015). beforeitsnews.com

El hombre que vio 6.000 aves este año (Dec. 28, 2015). El País [Spain] newspaper.

Birdwatcher wants to round off Big Year with a Cairns cassowary (Dec. 10, 2015). Cairns Post [Australia] newspaper.

Mission to set new world record of most sighted birds (Nov. 24, 2015). The Borneo Post newspaper.

Questions for Noah Strycker, Birdwatcher Extraordinaire (Oct. 27, 2015). Orion magazine [USA].

Avid bird-watcher Noah Strycker of Eugene records seeing 5,000th bird species this year (Oct. 27, 2015). The Register-Guard [Eugene, Oregon, USA] newspaper.

Eugene’s Noah Strycker Finds 5,000th Bird in “Big Year” (Oct. 26, 2015). Northwest Public Radio [USA].

Intervju: Nytt världsrekord i antal fåglar på ett år [Interview: New world record in the number of birds in a year] (Oct. 26, 2015). www.natursidan.se

Taiwan key stop in birder’s ‘Big Year’ (Oct. 14, 2015). Taipei Times [Taiwan] newspaper.

Birdwatcher’s year-long global tour takes him to the Emirates (Sep. 25, 2015). The National [UAE] newspaper.

Noah Strycker, Eugene birdwatcher, sets world record. (Sept. 21, 2015). The Oregonian [Portland, Oregon, USA] newspaper.

Thattekad birds help Noah’s record flight (Sep. 17, 2015). The Times of India newspaper.

Eugene Man Surpasses Record in “Big Year” of Birding (Sep. 17, 2015). KLCC radio [Eugene, Oregon, USA].

El mayor observador de pájaros del mundo estuvo de paso por Colombia (Apr. 14, 2015). W radio [Colombia].

Trailblazer: He Sings the Praises of Western Birds (March/April 2015). Via magazine.

Noah’s big year (Mar. 2015). Birdwatch [U.K.] magazine.

Welcome to Birding Without Borders (Jan.-Feb. 2015). Audubon magazine.

Bird-Binge: One Man’s Quest to Spot the Most Birds, Ever (Jan. 22, 2015). The Argentina Independent newspaper.

Praise for The Thing With Feathers

The New York Times Book Review said, “[Strycker] explains in wonderful stories that penguins are afraid of the dark (leopard seals wait in black waters to gobble them up) and that albatrosses truly love one another (mating for life and using each other’s breasts as pillows)….
“As Strycker writes, ‘By studying birds, we ultimately learn about ourselves.’” [full review]

The Wall Street Journal ran a lengthy piece, saying: “Mr. Strycker has the ability to write about the worlds of man and fowl without simplifying either. . . He thinks like a biologist but writes like a poet. . . Although Mr. Strycker is only in his late 20s, he writes like a man who’s ripened into advanced eccentricity. Part the palm fronds between his sentences, and you can almost see the British naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough standing there in a pith helmet, smiling with amused approval at Mr. Strycker’s off-center sensibility.” [full review]

Newsweek had a wonderful, full-page review: “[Strycker] is a rising superstar in the birding community. . . a fun and enlightening read. Strycker knows words as well as birds; he has the literary chops to make the results of very complex experiments accessible. . . Perhaps Strycker’s greatest accomplishment in The Thing with Feathers is forcing the reader to think of birds not as flying rats that poop on cars, but as animals with superpowers.” [full review]

The Washington Post said: “Strycker has a keen eye for what is most interesting about each species, and he presents each bird story with tight language, humor and even an occasional splash of self-consciousness. . . this is a lively and vibrant book. Bird journalism of the highest order. Bird journalism that crackles.” [full review]

The Economist said: “‘The Thing with Feathers’ turns a shrewd, comparative eye on a succession of bird families to explore what [Strycker] calls their ‘human’ characteristics. . . This is an engaging work which illuminates something profound about all life, including our own.” [full review]

Robert Krulwich, of National Public Radio, called TWF “lovely” and “provocative” and wrote several NPR blog posts inspired by four different chapters from the book, which generated hundreds of online comments. [read online]

The scientific journal Nature said: “Birds intrigue humanity, and in this research round-up Noah Strycker reveals why – in marvels such as the equal-radius paths of flocking starlings and the decontamination chamber that is a vulture’s stomach. As he notes, such findings can mirror human realities.” [not available online]

Science News said: “Noah Strycker all but lassos readers with his binocular strap to bring people nose to beak with the plumed creatures he knows so well. . . [an] edifying and entertaining book.” [full review]

The Boston Globe concluded: “Beautifully written, filled with strange and lovely details, ‘The Thing With Feathers’ is a delightful read from start to finish.” [full review]

BirdWatching magazine said: “One of the best bird books you’ll read this decade. Guaranteed. . . The bottom line: Birds are full of wonder. And we’re thankful to have Noah Strycker to tell us about them.” [full review]

The Seattle Times concluded: “’The Things with Feathers’ will encourage you to take a closer look at the natural world around you, and perhaps learn more not only about what you see but who you are.” [full review]

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune said: “fascinating, readable, and informative . . . At the end of the book, you might conclude, ‘We’re all just a bunch of birdbrains.’ And that would not be a bad thing.” [full review]

The Oregonian said: “It is Strycker’s ability to see and draw connections between bird behavior and humanity that make ‘The Thing with Feathers’ difficult to put down. . . ‘The Thing with Feathers’ encourages reflection on one’s own assumptions about the perceived limitations of the animal kingdom.” [full review]

Booklist gave TWF a starred review: “[Strycker] combines the latest in ornithological science with snippets of history and his own vast experience in the field to hatch a thoroughly entertaining examination of bird behavior. . . Birds are equally alien and familiar, and in Strycker’s absorbing survey, we find out how much fun it is simply to watch them.”

Publisher’s Weekly said: “[Strycker] gets in his element. . . His prose is difficult to stop reading.” [full review]

Kirkus Reviews concluded: “A delightful book with broad appeal.” [full review]

Library Journal said: “A dazzling variety of avian subjects, including connections between birds and humans.”

Flavorwire said: “The Thing with Feathers is a delightful addition to the genre of animal writing that tells us about animal habits and why they matter. Strycker . . . is a trusty guide through bird-world, spanning continents and countries in order to tell us what vultures, hummingbirds, and bowerbirds have to offer the world.” [full review]

Mental Floss magazine called TWF “an exciting new book” and included a fun graphic of bird facts from the book. [not available online]

Carl Safina (author of Eye of the Albatross and other books) said: “I can tell you that not only is this book full of solid information—I expected that—but as a writer I am astonished at how loose and easy Noah Strycker has made the reading for us. This is an insightful and wonderfully companionable book. I can’t wait to read more from Strycker; meanwhile we have this gem.”

Scott Weidensaul (author of Living on the Wind and other books) said: “Noah Strycker explores the increasing likelihood that birds enjoy a vastly richer intellectual, emotional and even artistic life than we smug humans have ever suspected. Read this book.”

Brian Kimberling (author of Snapper) said: “A thoughtful, engaging book, encompassing pigeon races, physics, vulture baiting, the Backstreet Boys, and a mathematical model applicable to both tennis rankings and chicken hierarchies—a work of dazzling range, nimbly written.”

Mary Pipher (author of The Green Boat and other books) said: “I’ve read books about birds all of my life and this is the one I’ve been waiting for. Birds have a great deal to teach us. Strycker loves birds, understands their magic and mystery, and can extrapolate from their behavior wisdom for us all. At last we have a book worthy of this subject.”