Owls of the eastern ice A quest to find and save the world's largest owl

Primorye is the southeasternmost district of Russia, bordering on North Korea and China, and home to Amur tigers, primeval forests, salmon streams, and the world's largest owl, Blakiston's fish owl, an eagle owls and a distant cousin of North America's great horned owl. When biologist Slaght saw one for the first time he was captivated, and parlayed his years of experience in Russia into a PhD project studying the fish owl, with the aim of conserving it and its habitat. The owls are secretive and hard to find, which, coupled with the wintry wilderness setting, makes for an adventurous tale. Slaght learns how to look for owls as well as how to get along with the hard-drinking locals and survive the cold. The excitement of finding owl tracks in the snow (the owls fish for salmon along open stretches of rivers) and owl nests is intertwined with stories of camping, attaching transmitters to owls, and dealing with recalcitrant equipment and villagers. Slowly the owls reveal their secrets, and Slaght lets readers revel in the discoveries along with him.

Slaght recounts his five-year study of Blakiston's fish owls: raptors notable for their large size, rarity, and habitat (shared with Amur tigers) in southeastern Russia. The author, now the Russia and Northeast Asia Coordinator for the Wildlife Conservation Society, is a young PhD candidate looking for a research topic when the book begins. He's essentially starting from scratch, since so little was known about the birds. As fine a writer as he is scientist, Slaght gives the narrative an enticing structure; it's well into the book before he gets a good look at the cryptic species. Information about fish owl behavior and biology is gradually revealed as his knowledge expands. Readers learn much about the vagaries of scientific fieldwork, including the worries caused by severe weather, equipment failure, and project funding issues. While the birds are marvelous, there's a compelling human side to the story as well as Slaght describes his interactions with local scientists and research assistants. VERDICTS Slaght's extensive field research is rendered into clear, readable prose, making it a solid choice for bird lovers, but also for armchair travelers looking for eco-adventure on the fringes of civilization.--Robert Eagan, Windsor P.L., Ont.