Nonfiction

Owls of the Eastern Ice: The Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl

Owls of the Eastern Ice: The Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl

  • Downloads：1776
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-10-09 08:41:26
  • Update Date：2025-09-23
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Jonathan C. Slaght
  • ISBN：014198726X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

'Remarkable。 If only every endangered species had a guardian angel as impassioned， courageous and pragmatic as Jonathan Slaght' Isabella Tree， author of Wilding

'Gripping' Dave Goulson， author of A Sting in the Tale

Primorye， a remote forested region near to where Russia， China and North Korea meet in a tangle of barbed wire， is the only place where brown bears， tigers and leopards co-exist。 It is also home to one of nature's rarest birds， the Blakiston's fish owl。 A chance encounter with this huge， strange bird was to change wildlife researcher Jonathan C。 Slaght's life beyond measure。

This is the story of Slaght's quest to safeguard the elusive owl from extinction。 During months-long journeys covering thousands of miles， he has pursued it through its forbidding territory。 He has spent time with the Russians who struggle on in the harsh conditions of the taiga forest。 And he has observed how Russia's logging interests and evolving fortunes present new threats to the owl's survival。 Preserving its habitats will secure the forest for future generations， both animal and human - but can this battle be won？ Exhilarating and clear-sighted， Owls of the Eastern Ice is an impassioned reflection on our relationship with the natural world and on what it means to devote one's career to a single pursuit。

'Slaght makes the people， wildlife and landscape of the Russian Far East come alive。 I haven't enjoyed a book on remote Russia as much as this since Ian Frazier's Travels in Siberia'
Sophy Roberts， author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia

'True epic。 Powerful， passionate' Charles Foster， author of Being a Beast

Download

Reviews

Sooz ，

I was first introduced to the far eastern geography of Russia when I read John Vaillant's account of a man-hunting Amur Tiger （simply titled The Tiger -which by the way- I really enjoyed） so I was looking forward to revisiting that area。 I didn't find Slaught's account as riveting as I did Vaillant's but all the same it was a good read and I might have been unfairly comparing the two writers in my mind for no reason other than my own bias。The wildlife in that peninsula-like land mass， south of t I was first introduced to the far eastern geography of Russia when I read John Vaillant's account of a man-hunting Amur Tiger （simply titled The Tiger -which by the way- I really enjoyed） so I was looking forward to revisiting that area。 I didn't find Slaught's account as riveting as I did Vaillant's but all the same it was a good read and I might have been unfairly comparing the two writers in my mind for no reason other than my own bias。The wildlife in that peninsula-like land mass， south of the Amur River that ends in a tip along the Pacific Ocean where China， Russia， and N。 Korea converge has some of the most unique animal life。 In addition to the Fish Owl （I'd no idea there was an variety of owl that fished like an Osprey or Bald Eagle） and the Amur Tiger， I learnt of the existence of Long-Tailed Gorals and Siberian Musk Deer， both of which look like curious miniatures of some kind of mammal hybrid。 All interesting stuff。 。。。more

Debbie Jacob ，

This is a fascinating look at the rare fish owl found in eastern Russia， Japan and Korea。 The writing is exciting and interesting。 This is an amazing story that shows how even the most remote and unknown animals among us are important to the ecosystem。 The descriptions are rich and beautiful。 This is an amazing book。

Susan ，

This giveaway is for nature lovers。 bird watchers， conservationists and adventurists。 The book was beautifully written and describes the authors plight to conserve and protect the elusive Blakiston's fish owl of the Russian Primorye Province，the world's largest owl and an endangered species。 His quest in this adventure involves harsh weather， many sleepless nights and precarious melting ice， but his determination is fruitful in the end where he is able to， along with other Russian ornithologists This giveaway is for nature lovers。 bird watchers， conservationists and adventurists。 The book was beautifully written and describes the authors plight to conserve and protect the elusive Blakiston's fish owl of the Russian Primorye Province，the world's largest owl and an endangered species。 His quest in this adventure involves harsh weather， many sleepless nights and precarious melting ice， but his determination is fruitful in the end where he is able to， along with other Russian ornithologists， obtain means for conserving this rare owl to preserve their future species。 Becoming enthralled with this bird， I looked into google and was able to hear the owls vocalization that he describes in the book and read more about their instinctive habits。 I always love reading about the treacherous ice-packed north and this narrative went along way with me but at times it would become monotonous， but I stuck with it and was glad I finished it。 。。。more

Stewart Monckton ，

Wonderful， slow moving but engaging， account of a wonderful bird， in a （probably） unfamiliar part of the world。 Also a great account of the reality of biology field work！ Recommended to anyone interested in birds， the environment， the reality of science and good story telling， rich with great characters。 SM

Sheillagh ，

Great book about Ornithologist and doctoral student， Jonathan Slaght， working in Eastern Russia along the coast and Sea of Japan， to come up with a program to save Fish Owls， who are an endangered species of raptor。 This was such an interesting read and I grew to love this huge owl， the biggest owl of the species。 Recommend to anyone who loves owls and hearing their story。

Jared ，

Fun account of Russian field work。 I would recommend to any one with an interest in birds and how to protect them， as this book's narrative keeps you engaged and avoids the dryness of books written directly about environmental protection Fun account of Russian field work。 I would recommend to any one with an interest in birds and how to protect them， as this book's narrative keeps you engaged and avoids the dryness of books written directly about environmental protection 。。。more

Johanna ，

I just loved this book。 Who knew that such a random topic of that of the Fish Owl could be so fascinating。 The anecdotes of local Russians that the author meets are charming and interesting！

Heidi ，

This Audio Book was fascinating！！！Jonathan Slaght， a field scientist is on a quest to locate & study the Blakiston Fish Owl。 A huge species known to be over 2 feet tall。 His quest takes place in the Province of Primorye in Russia。Truly Fascinating！！ Would reccomend

Owlseyes ，

https://amp。theguardian。com/commentis。。。 https://amp。theguardian。com/commentis。。。 。。。more

Lucy ，

Jonathan Slaght brilliantly describes habitat， research techniques and fails， and human and fish owl behavior。 The pages turn like an adventure novel， and the reader is pulled hypnotically into a place few of us have ever been。 My hope is that his book will advance his research， as， in the last chapter， he admits that the only money he gets is “whatever grants Surmach [a colleague] and I have time to cobble together。”

Diane ，

I listened to audiobook narrated by author。 Adventure， nature， dedicated people and exotic setting in Far East Russia in winter， ， along with the author's passion for his work kept me enthralled。 I want to hear more from the author， who is a professor at the University of Minnesota。 I had the pleasure of attending local Audubon meeting via zoom where he was featured speaker。 What a talented and dedicated individual！ The fish owls and planet are so fortunate to have him in their court。 I listened to audiobook narrated by author。 Adventure， nature， dedicated people and exotic setting in Far East Russia in winter， ， along with the author's passion for his work kept me enthralled。 I want to hear more from the author， who is a professor at the University of Minnesota。 I had the pleasure of attending local Audubon meeting via zoom where he was featured speaker。 What a talented and dedicated individual！ The fish owls and planet are so fortunate to have him in their court。 。。。more

Katy Koivastik ，

My approach to wilderness and the fauna contained therein is simple: preserve as nature intended because Mother Earth knows best。 Therefore， when I read about field biologists capturing creatures to study them， my hackles are raised; “Leave them alone！”， my brain is screaming。However， people who live in and around nature preserves are not necessarily of this mindset。 There are some who don’t know any better and others who know and don’t care。 This makes the work of Jonathan Slaght and his fellow My approach to wilderness and the fauna contained therein is simple: preserve as nature intended because Mother Earth knows best。 Therefore， when I read about field biologists capturing creatures to study them， my hackles are raised; “Leave them alone！”， my brain is screaming。However， people who live in and around nature preserves are not necessarily of this mindset。 There are some who don’t know any better and others who know and don’t care。 This makes the work of Jonathan Slaght and his fellow researchers imperative， if for no other reason than to raise awareness and consciousness。The working life of a field biologist is by no means easy。 Slaght speaks Russian fluently， allowing him to hire Russian assistants to help him track， capture and record data on the elusive Blakiston’s Fish Owl in the remote reaches of eastern Russia。 They all endured bitterly cold conditions， especially， as by definition， they were working near water。 I found Jonathan Slaght’s record of his several seasons of study fascinating and inspiring。 The fact he narrates his book himself makes it all the better。 。。。more

Andy Plonka ，

Not only the world's largest， but a very interesting creature that not many humans have studied because of their habitat which is not the most hospitable。 Not only the world's largest， but a very interesting creature that not many humans have studied because of their habitat which is not the most hospitable。 。。。more

Carol Dix ，

This is ornithology writing at its best - adventure， birding， mishaps， travelogue， and through it all the Russian character/culture and a profound love for the guys fighting to save the habitat for these amazing birds - the rare and largest owl on the planet， the Blakiston's fish owl。 This is ornithology writing at its best - adventure， birding， mishaps， travelogue， and through it all the Russian character/culture and a profound love for the guys fighting to save the habitat for these amazing birds - the rare and largest owl on the planet， the Blakiston's fish owl。 。。。more

Anne ，

A wonderful read about a research student's quest to track and save Fish Owls in Russia's far eastern Primorye region north of Vladivostock。 Slaght fell in love with the country as a pre-teen visiting the area with his diplomat father。 He returned winter after winter as a doctoral student。 The inhabitants are eccentric。 His fellow environmentalists are devoted。 The land is harsh and unforgiving。 He brings them all to life in great detail。 The Fish Owls are the stars。 They are huge and endangered A wonderful read about a research student's quest to track and save Fish Owls in Russia's far eastern Primorye region north of Vladivostock。 Slaght fell in love with the country as a pre-teen visiting the area with his diplomat father。 He returned winter after winter as a doctoral student。 The inhabitants are eccentric。 His fellow environmentalists are devoted。 The land is harsh and unforgiving。 He brings them all to life in great detail。 The Fish Owls are the stars。 They are huge and endangered。 Slaight hopes to save them by learning details of their lives and protecting the forests and rivers they need。 。。。more

Josie ，

3。5

JudithCollins ，

Slaght really undersold Sergey’s hotness。

Erica ，

Fascinating account of an American scientist and his efforts to capture， study and protect the giant Blakiston's fish owls of Eastern Russia。 Excellent descriptions of the natural world。 Fascinating account of an American scientist and his efforts to capture， study and protect the giant Blakiston's fish owls of Eastern Russia。 Excellent descriptions of the natural world。 。。。more

Michele ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 In 2005， the author collaborated with Sergey Surmach on his PhD thesis to understand the habitat needs of Blakiston’s fish owls over about 5 years。 The Blakiston’s fish owl is the largest owl， and an endangered species。 He worked with a small team in Primorye， in southeastern Russia。Between 2006 and 2010， the author spent 20 of those months in the forest， mostly in the winter， a harsh time of year to be in the elements， tracking and catching fish owls。 The year that followed， he processed all th In 2005， the author collaborated with Sergey Surmach on his PhD thesis to understand the habitat needs of Blakiston’s fish owls over about 5 years。 The Blakiston’s fish owl is the largest owl， and an endangered species。 He worked with a small team in Primorye， in southeastern Russia。Between 2006 and 2010， the author spent 20 of those months in the forest， mostly in the winter， a harsh time of year to be in the elements， tracking and catching fish owls。 The year that followed， he processed all the data and completed his dissertation， a conservation plan for Blakiston’s fish owl。 What came out of his work？ His data shows that they rely on valleys and only 19% of their habitat was protected， mostly in the Sikhote-Alin Biosphere Reserve。 That Reserve only has 2 pairs and could have only 2-3 more pairs of fish owls。 Almost half of the unprotected fish owl habitat was leased to logging companies， but thanks the large rotting poplars or elms with suitable nesting cavities have almost no commercial value。 The author worked with timber companies to educate them on fish owls habitat， which thankfully had no commercial value。 And timber companies cannot ignore the knowledge because the species is endangered。 It was endangered before this important work was done by the author for his dissertation， but the timber companies could claim they didn’t know what was habitat。 They cannot claim ignorance any more。 They no longer fell large trees for bridges， they block off roads after their logging is done because their roads pose great threat to the fish owls （poachers over fish and people hit the fish owls on the road）， and they leave the nest tree。 The author has also started to erect nest boxes and it’s been productive。 These are put up in areas with suitable fishing habitat but unsuitable nest trees。 Most of the book covers the 20 months in the forests of Primorye， finding the owls， capturing them， tracking them， and trying to learn their habitat needs。 Their work started with identifying fish owl territory along the Samarga River。 Finding fish owls proved to be challenging and the environment is a major factor too - ice and snow， the people in the small towns they are in， etc。 After many days of not finding fish owls， the author despairs， “Was I gaining any useful knowledge on this expedition？ Or was I just burning grant money while the team choked down ethanol？ Would this experience help me find fish owls for my study population？ My plan for a Ph。D。 project， catching a bunch of fish owls， seemed unrealistic at this point， given that I had not even seen one on this trip。 And my proposition to develop a fish our conservation plan seemed arrogant” （p 59）。Part 1 is their expedition on the Samarga River， looking for fish owls。 It concludes with this summary of their experience and the next adventures to come。 “The Samarga expedition was over。 … It had been a thirteen-day roller coaster of ice and eccentrics， with seemingly more time devoted to logistics then to finding fish owls。 But I was off to a good start: field study in the Russian Far East is a constant negotiation between the research， the local inhabitants， and the elements。 For the next week or so， the team would take a short break; Talya would join me In Terney as we waited for Sergey to come south from Samaga。 Then Sergey and I would initiate the second part of the exploratory phase of this five-year project - searching for possible owls to capture in the Serebryanka， Kema， Amgu， and Maksimovka River drainages of Terney County。 A six-week excursion， this next stage would provide the groundwork for our fish our telemetry study。”Part 2 is their search for fish owls， which is really productive。 It had covered the 2006 field season。 I loved reading about their encounters with these elusive and amazing birds。 At the end of that season， he was only 3 months into his 5 year study。 They had found 13 fish owl territories to focus their capture， and had found nest trees at 4 trees of those site。 Part 3 is about the capture phase of their field work， which proves to be challenging， like ever stage of their work。 They have to figure out a way to safely trap them， and though trial and error， they figure out a good design， and even one that is novel enough to merit a journal article about it。 They were forging the science of Blakiston fish owl capture and this was 2006ish。 Wow！ And without a capture protocol or experience， any issues were his fault。 A broken wing， a severed toe， or other injuries that could result from flaws in their methodology。 Those were his fault， if they occurred， but they didn’t happen。 His capture methods weren’t flawless but no birds were harmed。 Maybe a female owl was kept too long off the nest when they captured her during nesting season， misidentified her as male， and spent time attaching telemetry equipment to her。 In that time， if there was a chick or eggs on the nest， they could have perished。 The author talks about ideal Fish Owl habitat， a partially unfrozen the river for hunting， adjacent old growth deciduous forest for nesting， and conifers for roosting。 We also learn about the pressures on fish owl populations， ie: logging their old growth trees， which they depend on， including their cavity nesting trees which apparently are ideal culverts or bridges for loggers too， but eliminate the already limited housing for fish owls。 We also learn a bit about the Amur Tiger， and the threats to those populations， like farmers burning their fields and not controlling the fire， so it burns large swaths of their habitat too。 Like the Blakiston fish owl， the Amur Tiger is also endangered。 Deforestation threatens both the Blakiston’s fish owl and the Amur Tiger。 We also learn about the culture of this remote area。 Apparently， if you open a bottle of vodka， you have to finish it with your guests or it’s rude， unless you’re with friends。 Everyone has a banya （sauna）。 People think they need to kill all the tigers because of they don’t， the tigers will kill too many deer and other prey， though science doesn’t back this up。 Unintentionally， I was reading two books that take place in Russia。 The other one was A Gentleman in Moscow by Amore Towles。 Two very different books！ Strange how that keeps happening to me。 Earlier this year， I was reading the novel Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel at the same time as I was reading Of Wolves and Men， by Barry Lopez。 Those were also very different books but both ironically had wolf in the name。 。。。more

Barbara ，

I enjoyed this memoir of the author’s PhD field work in eastern Russia studying the elusive and very large fish owl。 The obstacles were formidable， many people eccentric， and the birds amazing， which made for an engaging， if sometimes repetitive tale。

Alex ，

Thoroughly enjoyed。 Slaght does a lovely job of unpacking the eccentric characters of eastern Russia， while keeping the story moving and giving proper coverage of the science too。 A good read for all enthusiastic birders， naturalists and even travel enthusiasts。

Sarah Carlson ，

Who knew ornithology could be so much fun？I went for this book on the giveaways on a whim （it seems I only win the "on a whim" entries not the ones I actively want， lol。） but as I have yet to regret a book I've won I didn't see the harmI know virtually nothing about birds and I couldn't help but wonder how you get a book out of looking for birds。 It's stereotypically a very dry， boring subject and the people you visualize when mentioning bird watching are equally boring。 This guy is anything but Who knew ornithology could be so much fun？I went for this book on the giveaways on a whim （it seems I only win the "on a whim" entries not the ones I actively want， lol。） but as I have yet to regret a book I've won I didn't see the harmI know virtually nothing about birds and I couldn't help but wonder how you get a book out of looking for birds。 It's stereotypically a very dry， boring subject and the people you visualize when mentioning bird watching are equally boring。 This guy is anything but boringOne thing you don't think about with research is how unglamorous it tends to be。 You think of zoos and sanctuaries not out in the snow living cheek-to-jowl for months on end with other researchers。 Aside from shedding a light on how research in the field is done， it's an enjoyable read as well as being informative。He's funny。 He's very good at finding the humor to be had in life and in work。 From the chaos of boarding a helicopter， to Russian shows playing on loop， to sleeping patterns of his teammates he can find the humor in situations that at the time were pretty stressful。 It's an entertaining and informative read and it's definitely worth a read 。。。more

Debra ，

Fascinating read about scientific research in the wilds of eastern Russia。 I am very keen on learning about owls and that part was very instructive。 I also really liked the memoir element of the story and the challenges and triumphs of making breakthroughs about a rare species under challenging conditions。

Cathy ，

Not many people could pull off a book about academic research into huge but elusive owls that live in Siberia and northern Japan。 Slaght not only makes academic research interesting， he throws in a readable and entertaining tale of the kind of people who inhabit small isolated communities in Siberia and even more isolated cabins in its deep， dense forests， lessons on how to get a quarter-ton truck across a partially frozen river， and the dangers of running out of cigatettes miles from the neares Not many people could pull off a book about academic research into huge but elusive owls that live in Siberia and northern Japan。 Slaght not only makes academic research interesting， he throws in a readable and entertaining tale of the kind of people who inhabit small isolated communities in Siberia and even more isolated cabins in its deep， dense forests， lessons on how to get a quarter-ton truck across a partially frozen river， and the dangers of running out of cigatettes miles from the nearest store He and his Russian counterparts also learn to think like a bird described as looking like a small bear with feathers。 It's educational but also a good read。 。。。more

Franchesca ，

A harrowing adventure through the wilds of Primorye， Russia in pursuit of the majestic and elusive fish owl。 Follow Jonathan C。 Slaght in his half-decade long quest to find， capture and track fish owls in an attempt to conserve their habitats and save this largely unstudied species， who were becoming extinct due to logging and other human activity。 Very well-written， exciting， and educational。 I love the small section of pictures showing these beautiful creatures， the forest landscape， and putti A harrowing adventure through the wilds of Primorye， Russia in pursuit of the majestic and elusive fish owl。 Follow Jonathan C。 Slaght in his half-decade long quest to find， capture and track fish owls in an attempt to conserve their habitats and save this largely unstudied species， who were becoming extinct due to logging and other human activity。 Very well-written， exciting， and educational。 I love the small section of pictures showing these beautiful creatures， the forest landscape， and putting in perspective some of the things Jonathan and his team had to endure during the field study periods。Thanks so much to Goodreads giveaways for this wonderful read！ 。。。more

Beth Robinson-Kinney ，

I love how atmospheric the writing in this book is。 It's a fascinating window into a remote part of Russia with a rare glimpse of Blakiston's fishing owls。 If reading an interesting travelogue of a far flung corner of snowy Russia and learning a few secrets of a rare species is your thing， you'll like this book。 I love how atmospheric the writing in this book is。 It's a fascinating window into a remote part of Russia with a rare glimpse of Blakiston's fishing owls。 If reading an interesting travelogue of a far flung corner of snowy Russia and learning a few secrets of a rare species is your thing， you'll like this book。 。。。more

Jon ，

More a of a personal journal or a travelogue than a book about Owls/Conservation， this tome by Slaght is just over 300 pages of the following:1。 Waking up cold and wet2。 Walking around the cold wet forest3。 Seeing an owl （or not）4。 Captureing the owl （or not）5。 Going back to the cold， wet tent/cabin/house6。 Drinking and having strange interactions with Russian hermits。The above repeats， with little variation， every 10 pages or so， for about 30 iterations。To me， the best things about this book ar More a of a personal journal or a travelogue than a book about Owls/Conservation， this tome by Slaght is just over 300 pages of the following:1。 Waking up cold and wet2。 Walking around the cold wet forest3。 Seeing an owl （or not）4。 Captureing the owl （or not）5。 Going back to the cold， wet tent/cabin/house6。 Drinking and having strange interactions with Russian hermits。The above repeats， with little variation， every 10 pages or so， for about 30 iterations。To me， the best things about this book are his interactions with strange Russian hermits， and some of the interesting discoveries he makes at the end about the owls。 This book is also a good example of how real science works: it is slow， repetitive， boring， dull， unglamorous， and not very flashy。I come away from this book somewhat frustrated。 While I appreciate that these owls are rather unknown to science， and that Slaght is literally the most knowledgable person in the world about them， there is *very little* in this book about the owls。 We still don't know a ton about their behavior or life cycle。 I also expected more in the way of how conservation works， for these owls specifically or in Russia in general。 There is about 4 pages on this topic at the end。One gets the impression that Slaght kept a diary during his five years in Russia， tracking the mundane every day habits he and his team did， and then just decided to publish that。Probably feeling 2。5 stars right now， but also I don't want to be uncharitable。 。。。more

Samantha O'neill-edgar ，

This is a wonderful non fiction book set to the sound of a story。 I'm impressed by the writer's dedication and love of these creatures， their homes and the land the live on。 This is a wonderful non fiction book set to the sound of a story。 I'm impressed by the writer's dedication and love of these creatures， their homes and the land the live on。 。。。more

Maureen Pena ，

Goodreads giveaway。 4。5 stars。

Katie ，

Absolutely incredible; I didn’t want it to end。 The writing is excellent， and although I always love a great wildlife conservation tale， this one is particularly memorable。 Slaght provides vivid descriptions of creatures， a country， and culture that I am unfamiliar with， and people whose lives are so different from my own。 Easily one of my all-time favorite books， of any genre。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Owls of the Eastern Ice: The Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Owls of the Eastern Ice: The Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Owls of the Eastern Ice: The Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0