Owls of the Eastern Ice with Jonathan Slaght

Conversation and Book signing with Author and Wildlife Biologist Jonathan Slaght. 

He will talk about his experiences tracking the World's Largest Owls in Primorye Russia -  chronicled in his fascinating book,  "Owls of the Eastern Ice". 

ABOUT  

Jonathan Slaght is a wildlife biologist and author working full-time for the Wildlife Conservation Society as the Regional Director of the WCS Temperate Asia Program, where he oversees their programs in Russia, China, Mongolia, and Afghanistan, and projects in Central Asia. 

In addition, he is one of the world’s foremost experts on Blakiston’s fish owl. For years he wrote a semi-regular blog for Scientific American called East of Siberia and was a contributor to WCS WildView, a photo blog. His other writings, scientific research, and photographs have been featured by the BBC World Service, the New York Times, The Guardian, Smithsonian Magazine, The New Yorker, and Audubon Magazine, among others. He is currently under contract with Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux to write a book about tigers. 

Recent Awards 

2021: PEN/E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award

2020: longlist, National Book Award for Nonfiction

2020: The Times (of London) Nature Book of the Year

2020: Multiple “Best Books of 2020” lists, including New York Times, NPR, Smithsonian, etc.

2020: Early Career Alumni Award, University of Minnesota

2017: Special Achievement Award, International Festival of Owls

Owls of the Eastern Ice

In Owls of the Eastern Ice,  Slaght takes us to the Primoriye region of Eastern Russia, where we join a small team for late-night monitoring missions, on mad dashes across thawing rivers, drink vodka with mystics, hermits, and scientists, and listen to fireside tales of Amur tigers. Most captivating of all are the fish owls themselves: careful hunters, devoted parents, singers of eerie duets, and irrepressible survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat.

A rare glimpse into the everyday life of a scientist and the subjects of his deep fascination, Owls of the Eastern Ice is a testament to the determination, creativity, and resolve required by field research and a powerful reminder of the beauty, strength, and vulnerability of the natural world.