{"product_id":"owls-of-the-eastern-ice-9781250798718-new","title":"Owls of the Eastern Ice","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eNotable Book of 2020\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLonglisted for the National Book Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003ePEN\/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award and the Minnesota Book Award for General Nonfiction\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Finalist for the Stanford Dolman Travel Book of the Year Award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA Best Book of the Year: NPR, \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSmithsonian\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eMinneapolis Star-Tribune\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Globe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe BirdBooker Report\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGeographical, Open Letter Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBest Nature Book of the Year: \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Times\u003c\/i\u003e (London)\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"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.”\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eHelen Macdonald, author of \u003ci\u003eH is for Hawk\u003c\/i\u003e, in \u003ci\u003eKirkus\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eI 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 . . . \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThrough this rare glimpse into the everyday life of a field scientist and conservationist, \u003ci\u003eOwls of the Eastern Ice\u003c\/i\u003e 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Picador","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":53085274341536,"sku":"9781250798718-new","price":18.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0463\/0115\/1392\/files\/41Am7-yXfOS.jpg?v=1764975553","url":"https:\/\/shop.mtwyouth.org\/products\/owls-of-the-eastern-ice-9781250798718-new","provider":"More Than Words ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}