Owls of the Eastern Ice: The Quest to Find and Save the World's Largest Owl
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- Create Date：2021-11-21 08:50:58
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Jonathan C. Slaght
- ISBN：014198726X
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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
'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
Reviews
Heidi
，
Audio bookRead by the author， which is a good thing。Excellent book。 I hesitated for some reason， but was urged by Erika to read it and am so pleased I did。 I highly recommend for people who like birds， skilled outdoorsmen and conservation。 Let us all hope Mr Slaght is successful with his endeavors。
Lynn
，
I really enjoyed this book。 It felt like I was along on these fieldwork trips。 I’d love to see a fish owl and am thankful for all the work to protect them！
Jen Davis Lance
，
Despite my zeal for birding， this book firmly established for me that I didn't miss my life's calling to be an ornithologist。 Clearly， this is a field that requires high tolerance for tedium， repetition， and nasty weather。 The Blakiston's Fish Owl itself was fascinating， but the recounting of the field science was not as compelling as I had hoped。 Kudos to all the conservationists toiling in the trenches！ Despite my zeal for birding， this book firmly established for me that I didn't miss my life's calling to be an ornithologist。 Clearly， this is a field that requires high tolerance for tedium， repetition， and nasty weather。 The Blakiston's Fish Owl itself was fascinating， but the recounting of the field science was not as compelling as I had hoped。 Kudos to all the conservationists toiling in the trenches！ 。。。more
Gerard
，
You don’t need to be a bird enthusiast to enjoy this and it doesn’t read like a journal or a research paper。 Give it a go and you might find that it sparks an interest in ornithology or conservation。 Well worth the time invested。
Suzanne Mccandless
，
I really enjoyed reading this scientific account of studying Blakiston's fish owls。 Of course I learned a lot about the owls， and about the habitat where they live。 But I also learned about the primitive land of the Primary Province of Russia， and the collection of individuals who peppered Slaght's adventures while studying this elusive bird。 I appreciated his style of writing。 I read this as a library book， but I must get my own copy so I can mark the metaphors， the unusual language that captur I really enjoyed reading this scientific account of studying Blakiston's fish owls。 Of course I learned a lot about the owls， and about the habitat where they live。 But I also learned about the primitive land of the Primary Province of Russia， and the collection of individuals who peppered Slaght's adventures while studying this elusive bird。 I appreciated his style of writing。 I read this as a library book， but I must get my own copy so I can mark the metaphors， the unusual language that capture the events 。 I'll enjoy rereading it to experience the adventures and reencounter the individuals who people this part of the world。 。。。more
Max
，
Absolutely loved this book about a biologist studying Fish Owl populations。 Very well written， loved his research and the descriptions of the fieldwork。 The successes and hardships felt really relatable to me。 I learned a lot about fish owls， I hadn't really heard about them before。 They're fascinating！ I also love books that have Russia as setting， so this was a perfect read for me。 Absolutely loved this book about a biologist studying Fish Owl populations。 Very well written， loved his research and the descriptions of the fieldwork。 The successes and hardships felt really relatable to me。 I learned a lot about fish owls， I hadn't really heard about them before。 They're fascinating！ I also love books that have Russia as setting， so this was a perfect read for me。 。。。more
Thelma
，
If you will preserver and keep trudging through the deep snow of this true-to-life book， you may find it well worth the time。 First， who has ever heard of an Ice Owl， since they live the Russia？ The author takes us on a journey to research， verify and make a conservation plan for these huge birds。 Learning about the owls， the tundra， the society was fascinating。 If you are interested in birds and conservation， and don't mind a book without a real plot， let me invite you to read this one！ If you will preserver and keep trudging through the deep snow of this true-to-life book， you may find it well worth the time。 First， who has ever heard of an Ice Owl， since they live the Russia？ The author takes us on a journey to research， verify and make a conservation plan for these huge birds。 Learning about the owls， the tundra， the society was fascinating。 If you are interested in birds and conservation， and don't mind a book without a real plot， let me invite you to read this one！ 。。。more
Lee
，
"Owls of the Eastern Ice" reads more like an adventure story than a scientific study。 I was amazed at the difficulties Slaght and his colleagues faced in their mostly wintery quest to study the largest owls in the world。 At the end of the book， Slaght describes what he learned about the owls and how to protect them。 "Owls of the Eastern Ice" reads more like an adventure story than a scientific study。 I was amazed at the difficulties Slaght and his colleagues faced in their mostly wintery quest to study the largest owls in the world。 At the end of the book， Slaght describes what he learned about the owls and how to protect them。 。。。more
Colleen Wolfe
，
I loved this book so much。 The author is an amazing writer in addition to being a conservation biologist。 The whole book was fascinating and enthralling。 The descriptions of the landscape were evocative， the writing about the fish owls and the process for studying them was surprisingly interesting， and the anecdotes about the various Russian characters that the author worked with throughout his winter field seasons were incredibly entertaining。
Martin Kilkenny
，
Wow this guy loves owls。 A great story about a man in a very inhospitable place trying to study an owl。 Sounds boring， but its not。
Fluencer
，
Wonderful book， wonderful reading by author too。 I have to read this book again， in text format to make highlights。 This book was full of things that I like so much about nature writing: patience with the natural subjects， keen observation， resilience of the human spirit in the wilderness， camaraderie （or should I say comrade-rie， lol）。 I also like that the author spends time describing all his time in Primorye/Vladivostok， not just the time he spent with the Blakiston fish-owls， the focus of hi Wonderful book， wonderful reading by author too。 I have to read this book again， in text format to make highlights。 This book was full of things that I like so much about nature writing: patience with the natural subjects， keen observation， resilience of the human spirit in the wilderness， camaraderie （or should I say comrade-rie， lol）。 I also like that the author spends time describing all his time in Primorye/Vladivostok， not just the time he spent with the Blakiston fish-owls， the focus of his research， and providing his insight on all types of topics。 My favorite person in the book is definitely Anatolia。 。。。more
Lacey
，
I should probably stop reading people's books derived from their PhD dissertations。 They are occasionally interesting but largely dry， which is how I found this book。 It was fine。 It's fun to read about the owls and to have some of the personal stories interwoven into the research。 But， on the whole， this falls into my "would have been better as a long magazine article" category of reading。 I should probably stop reading people's books derived from their PhD dissertations。 They are occasionally interesting but largely dry， which is how I found this book。 It was fine。 It's fun to read about the owls and to have some of the personal stories interwoven into the research。 But， on the whole， this falls into my "would have been better as a long magazine article" category of reading。 。。。more
Erica
，
The most well-written memoir of adventure and field work。 Slaght captures the danger of his location as well as both the tedium and joy of conducting important research for the sake of animals， humans and the ecosystem they share。
Alan Spinrad
，
Though insight into fish owl life is the primary purpose of the book， the glmpse into Russian hinterland folk and the conditions they live in was a close second。 To me， that glimpse was what made the book special。 Well written and immensely enjoyable。 A photo of a fish owl would have been nice，
Lauren Morrell
，
Liked learning about fieldwork and what it really entails， but imo it dragged on way too long going through each trial / tribulation without any real plot。 Ended halfway through so maybe it got better？
charles whitcomb
，
Well done Reads like you are with the author on the ice， in the snow， tracking through the forest of Siberia。 The cast of characters， all Russian are interesting as part of the narrative。
Roger Morgan-Grenville
，
Extraordinary story of single-minded intent and stamina， in search of， and in the protection of， one of the planet's least known raptors。 Extraordinary story of single-minded intent and stamina， in search of， and in the protection of， one of the planet's least known raptors。 。。。more
La Crosse County Library
，
Having read Wesley the Owl （2008） not too long ago， I was craving another owl story。 Instead of Barn Owls， Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl （2020） features a field scientist and conservationist chasing the rare Blakiston's Fish Owl over a period of five years through remote eastern Russian forests。 （A Blakiston's Fish Owl）By Tokumi - オリジナル Tokumiが撮影 （initially uploaded on ja:ファイル:Wiki-shimafukurou。jpg）， Public Domain， Link Jonathan Slaght was entranced by Having read Wesley the Owl （2008） not too long ago， I was craving another owl story。 Instead of Barn Owls， Owls of the Eastern Ice: A Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl （2020） features a field scientist and conservationist chasing the rare Blakiston's Fish Owl over a period of five years through remote eastern Russian forests。 （A Blakiston's Fish Owl）By Tokumi - オリジナル Tokumiが撮影 （initially uploaded on ja:ファイル:Wiki-shimafukurou。jpg）， Public Domain， Link Jonathan Slaght was entranced by his first fleeting sighting of the elusive and enigmatic owl when he was in Russia serving with the Peace Corps。 Birdwatching was his hobby in those days。 This set him on a path to undertake a five-year study of the world’s largest—and endangered—owl in graduate school。 His assembled team of dedicated Russian conservationists， ornithologists （scientists who study birds）， and experienced woodsmen doggedly pursue this mysterious owl through some of the most challenging terrain。 It speaks to Slaght’s and his team’s dedication to the preservation of these unique animals that they live on the rough in remote wilderness for weeks or months at a time， undertaking both harrowing and tedious tasks in order to collect data for his study。 Because the owls were elusive phantoms， not much was known about the birds。 This meant that it was trial-and-error at the start for the team， leading to an eventual refinement of best practices—from how to capture owls for fitting with GPS units to track their movements to fording rivers whose ice cover was unreliable at best for crossing by the team’s caravan。 Aside from shedding light on the grueling， yet critical work field biologists and conservationists undertake to protect their endangered animals， Owls of the Eastern Ice introduced us to a colorful assortment of characters who aided the team during their mission。 My favorite was a recluse who slept in a wooden pyramid for the positive energy it supposedly generated。 But hey， the team preferred to sleep in a warm cabin when they could instead of their tents or vehicles。 Thus， they overlooked the eccentricities of everyone they met， who tended to be genuinely curious about their work and wanted to help in whatever way they could。 The team gratefully accepted their aid—from food to knowledge about the local geography and terrain。 Much vodka was drunk and many friends made along the multi-year journey。 While they encountered setbacks along the way， the team showed an admirable adaptability and were often able to salvage the situation， which was important， as often villages where they could find help were few and far between。 And their hard work paid off。 Slaght’s study lead to the implementation of measures to protect the owl and its habitats， increasingly fragmented by human encroachment， especially by logging interests。 Logging companies agreed to not cut down the old growth trees Blakiston’s Fish Owls prefer for hunting and nesting purposes—conveniently， these trees weren’t valuable to them economically and were mostly used to build temporary bridges—a critical victory in the fight to protect the owl， who doesn’t have the name recognition other endangered species have， say， like a panda or tiger。 This story is one of humanity， owls， struggle， and the beauty of the natural world。 Definitely worth the read！ -Cora Find this book and other titles within our catalog。 See also:To learn more about this owl， please see: https://ebird。org/species/blfowl1 If interested in other owl-related books， try Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl （2008） by Stacey O'Brien 。。。more
Loretta Kalamaroff
，
An outstanding book about the science of finding and studying an elusive bird in a remote area of Russia。 The author's background on how he came to this research and the trials and tribulations he encountered make you glad you work indoors。 The eccentric cast of supporting aides supply a lot of humor to the field work the author describes doing in the hostile beauty of the peninsula。 An outstanding book about the science of finding and studying an elusive bird in a remote area of Russia。 The author's background on how he came to this research and the trials and tribulations he encountered make you glad you work indoors。 The eccentric cast of supporting aides supply a lot of humor to the field work the author describes doing in the hostile beauty of the peninsula。 。。。more
Inga Freiberga
，
4 stars。 It's a true story of a man trying to learn ecology of a rare， protected owl species and it is never easy。 Although story may seem a bit repetitive - each chapter is a field season in winter， traveling to the same places and mostly doing the same things。 It reflects that a researcher carrier is by all means often repetitive and not a relaxing vacation。 The "cherry" of these stories are the people and situations they encounter。 Some totally crazy individuals spending their lives in remote 4 stars。 It's a true story of a man trying to learn ecology of a rare， protected owl species and it is never easy。 Although story may seem a bit repetitive - each chapter is a field season in winter， traveling to the same places and mostly doing the same things。 It reflects that a researcher carrier is by all means often repetitive and not a relaxing vacation。 The "cherry" of these stories are the people and situations they encounter。 Some totally crazy individuals spending their lives in remote places， often consuming too much alcohol， constantly smoking and when ever possible having sauna。 It's a place with it's own rules， where law enforcement simply doesn't work。 I really appreciate that author was working and living with the local people while conducting his research， instead of bringing a team of foreigners with him。 It gives much more valuable insight in local peoples ways of living and obviously brings research closer to them。 And on top of that makes the conservation more efficient and beneficial also to people living there。 I would love to visit the places he had gone， the only question - am I strong enough to survive there？ 。。。more
Julia
，
Well this was a bloody delight！ Who would have thought that what was a essentially a field journal would be so captivating。 I loved it。 The landscape descriptions and matter of fact rundown of daily events was clear and engaging。 All this is coming from a self confused bird fan， which may have contributed。
Jennifer Pullen
，
An excellent piece of science writing。
Nadie Vanzandt
，
A great book for anyone who loves wilderness and wildlife conservation。 It is entertaining and reads like a novel full of exciting adventures during the harsh winters in the Russian wilderness。
Trent Wilson
，
This book punched way above its weight class。 If you like Owls， nature， conservation， Russia， or travel， this is a book for you。
Deb Grove
，
A very absorbing book that I could hardly put down。 It is not just a researcher hunting for a rare bird but it is an adventure in eastern Russia。 It is a story of hope that these birds who have to fight in our changing world to survive have been given extra chances to live。
Kate
，
3。5？ It was really interesting to start with， got kinda boring in the middle and then felt rushed at the end。 It’s challenging to cover many years of field work in a concise/page-turning way， so I realize I’m asking fir a lot。 I also would have liked more illustrations of the different trap systems and tracking devices since those innovations were especially interesting。
Lindsey Leitera
，
Come for the owls， stay for the bizarre Russia stories。
Barbara
，
It is always interesting to read about somebody else's obsessions， especially when the subject is something you've never heard of before - in this case， the fish owls of the wild Russian Far East， where the researchers have to survive in a violent and inhospitable landscape。 We meet the researchers， the owls， and a cast of interesting and unusual characters。 However it isn't an easy read， as this kind of research can be boring and repetitive and that comes across in the detailed and exact writin It is always interesting to read about somebody else's obsessions， especially when the subject is something you've never heard of before - in this case， the fish owls of the wild Russian Far East， where the researchers have to survive in a violent and inhospitable landscape。 We meet the researchers， the owls， and a cast of interesting and unusual characters。 However it isn't an easy read， as this kind of research can be boring and repetitive and that comes across in the detailed and exact writing。 The descriptions of the environment and the owls' habitat are mesmerising。 。。。more
Bethwyn Badger
，
I tried this multiple times over the time I've had it （about a year， damn。。。） and I thought I would really enjoy it， but I got about a third of the way through and felt like I was reading about Slaght's observations on the Russian people rather than on the search for the owl， or the owl itself。 And， sure， I'll acknowledge that people need to be involved in the search， but to be honest it's just not my kind of thing to read more about them than the owls。 The writing was quite good， but quite repe I tried this multiple times over the time I've had it （about a year， damn。。。） and I thought I would really enjoy it， but I got about a third of the way through and felt like I was reading about Slaght's observations on the Russian people rather than on the search for the owl， or the owl itself。 And， sure， I'll acknowledge that people need to be involved in the search， but to be honest it's just not my kind of thing to read more about them than the owls。 The writing was quite good， but quite repetitive， and I found it a little dull， so I guess this one just wasn't for me！{I received a review copy of this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 All thoughts and feelings are my own。} 。。。more
Awwwtrouble
，