Eugene birder Noah Strycker has achieved his goal of seeing 5,000 different birds during his international "Big Year" of birding.
Strycker unofficially broke the "Big Year" world record last month when he spotted his 4,342nd bird in India. On Sunday, Strycker left this phone message for his dad, Bob Keefer, in Creswell:
Strycker: "Just calling to say we just hit number 5k with a flame-crowned flower-pecker in the hills of Mindanao. It's a beautiful morning and now we are hanging out, waiting for a Philippine Eagle."
Noah Strycker started his journey on January 1st in the Arctic. He's been connecting with local bird-watchers all over the world. Strycker is funding the trip with proceeds from a book contract. He's also blogging at Audubon.dot.org. Strycker isn’t stopping at 5 thousand. He'll continue his adventure, finishing up his "big year" in Australia.
