Binding: Paperback
Description: A New York Times Notable Book of 2020 Longlisted for the National Book Award Winner of the PEN/ E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and the Minnesota Book Award for General Nonfiction A Finalist for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award Winner of the Peace Corps Worldwide Special Book Award A Best Book of the Year: NPR The Wall Street Journal Smithsonian Minneapolis Star - Tribune The Globe and Mail The Bird Booker Report Geographical Open Letter Review Best Nature Book of the Year: The Times (London)" A terrifically exciting account of Slaght's time in the Russian Far East studying Blakiston's fish owls huge shaggy - feathered yellow - eyed and elusive birds that hunt fish by wading in icy water Even on the hottest summer days this book will transport you. Helen Macdonald author of H is for Hawk in Kirkus I saw my first Blakiston's fish owl in the Russian province of Primorye a coastal talon of land hooking south into the belly of Northeast Asia No scientist had seen a Blakiston's fish owl so far south in a hundred years 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. They use cutting - edge tracking technology and improvise ingenious traps. And all along they must keep watch against a run - in with a bear or an Amur tiger. 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. Through this rare glimpse into the everyday life of a field scientist and conservationist Owls of the Eastern Ice testifies to the determination and creativity essential to scientific advancement and serves as a powerful reminder of the beauty strength and vulnerability of the natural world.
Title: Owls Of The Eastern Ice A Quest To Find And Save The World's Largest Owl
Author(s): Slaght Jonathan C.
Publisher: Picador
Barcode: 9781250798718
Pages: 368 Pages
Language: English
Publication Date: 6/1/2021