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

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.