Noah Strycker made waves in the North American birding community after winning the prestigious ABA/Leica Young Birder of the Year competition in 2004.

He then traveled to Taiwan to advise on a new ecotourism program, illustrated the comprehensive 2-volume Bird Coloration, became BirdBoy in WildBird magazine, and took position as Associate Editor of Birding magazine.

Currently a 21-year-old senior at Oregon State University, Noah studies Fisheries & Wildlife and Fine Arts on a full academic scholarship. When not in class, he travels in search of birding adventures. He spent last summer studying abroad in Australia and Fiji, backpacking 188 miles through the Wallowa Mountains of Oregon, and learning the secrets of taxidermy in an extended workshop.

Now, he shows an enthusiastic vision of birds as a contact sport. He recently appeared on the popular radio program, Living on Earth, with an essay about iPods from the recent book, Good Birders Don't Wear White: 50 Tips From America's Top Birders.

Noah's goal is to inject some youth into birding, give it an edge, and, if they're not exactly "cool", then at least get birds some respect. He hopes to achieve this goal by being a normal college student and a birder at the same time, even if sometimes those are two separate lives.

After graduation, Noah looks forward to traveling, visiting new areas, and maybe graduate school. Noah is an active birder with a "life list" near 1,600 species and always looks forward to the next one!