Big Years are inherently dramatic, particularly when the record is there to be broken. In the case of former Birding associate editor Noah Strycker, this last month of his global quest was less about the record he smashed weeks ago and more about the impossible bar he was about to set.
For the month of December the question has been “Can he hit 6000?”. It certainly added a sense of urgency to his final month, as Noah racked up endemics with the appetite of a Turkey Vulture on roadkill. And yesterday, in northeast India he finally reached the mark that many thought impossible. A Yellow-rumped Honeyguide was the bird. Nothing flashy, but a beautiful milestone that will be incredibly difficult to best should anyone be crazy enough to try.
You can read his personal account here.
Noah and his local guides take a moment to celebrate 6000.
While most of us dream of traveling to the places Noah has visited and seeing the birds he’s seen, it’s hard to comprehend how huge an undertaking this was to accomplish in only 12 months. The planning is impressive enough, but to stay healthy and motivated to bird for 360+ days in a year is truly amazing. And that he’s been able to keep the world at large updated on his progress at his Birding without Borders site even more so.
He’s still got 48 hours to go. Keep piling them on, Noah! We’ll catch up on the other side of 2016.