Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl

A field scientist and conservationist tracks the elusive Blakiston's Fish Owl in the forbidding reaches of eastern Russia When he was just a fledgling birdwatcher, Jonathan C. Slaght had a chance encounter with one of the most mysterious birds on Earth. Bigger than any owl he knew, it looked like a small bear with decorative feathers. He snapped a quick photo and shared it with experts. Soon he was on a five-year journey, searching for this enormous, enigmatic creature in the lush, remote forests of eastern Russia. That first sighting set his calling as a scientist. Despite a wingspan of six feet and a height of over two feet, the Blakiston's fish owl is highly elusive. They are easiest to find in winter, when their tracks mark the snowy banks of the rivers where they feed. They are also endangered. And so, as Slaght and his devoted team set out to locate the owls, they aim to craft a conservation plan that helps ensure the species' survival. This quest sends them on all-night monitoring missions in freezing tents, mad dashes across thawing rivers, and free-climbs up rotting trees to check nests for precious eggs. At the heart of Slaght's story are the fish owls themselves: cunning hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat.

About the Author :
Jonathan C. Slaght is the Russia and Northeast Asia coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he manages research projects on endangered species and coordinates avian conservation activities along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway from the Arctic to the tropics. His annotated translation of Across the Ussuri Kray, by Vladimir Arsenyev, was published in 2016, and his work has been featured by the New York Times, the Guardian, the BBC World Service, NPR, Smithsonian magazine, Scientific American, and Audubon magazine, among others. He lives in Minneapolis. Jonathan C. Slaght is the Russia and Northeast Asia coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society, where he manages research projects on endangered species and coordinates avian conservation activities along the East Asia-Australasian Flyway from the Arctic to the tropics. His annotated translation of Across the Ussuri Kray, by Vladimir Arsenyev, was published in 2016, and his work has been featured by the New York Times, the Guardian, the BBC World Service, NPR, Smithsonian magazine, Scientific American, and Audubon magazine, among others. He lives in Minneapolis.

Review :
Author and narrator Jonathan Slaght gives listeners a unique and engaging look at life in Russia's remote Far East.-- "AudioFile" "A stellar example of the fruitful intersection of scientific inquiry, conservation advocacy, and wilderness adventure." -- "Minneapolis Star Tribune" "A thoroughly engaging read which will appeal both to those specifically interested in owls, as well as those with a wider interest in the natural world." -- "John Gray, The International Owl Society" "One of the greatest survival adventure stories of our time...In the league of Jack London and J.A. Baker, it's a book packed to its brim with moments of courage in both body and spirit and of a love for nature and untamed land." -- "Ralph Lauren Magazine" "Slaght describes a charismatic bird in peril from human influence. His race against the Primorye region's melting ice and burgeoning logging industry acts as a universal symbol for the attempts to protect the vanishing species of our planet." -- "New Republic"