Above all, he makes the people, wildlife and landscape of the Russian Far East come alive for armchair travellers.

Horatio Clare, author of Orison for a Curlew Slaght's story reveals the patience and determination of a true conservationist. Dave Goulson, Professor of Biology at the University of Sussex and author of A Sting in the Tale A vivid dispatch from the front line of conservation, Owls of the Eastern Ice is engrossing and uplifting an inspiring story of vital work undertaken with utter determination in wild and distant places. Isabella Tree, author of Wilding A gripping account of the author's obsessive quest to save one of the world's most magnificent birds. If only every endangered species had a guardian angel as impassioned, courageous and pragmatic as Jonathan Slaght. wonderful - Bill Bailey The remarkable story of one man's heroic quest to save the astonishing fish owl. The reader becomes, like the author, 'stunned by the quiet violence of this place.' - Clement Knox * The Times * This is a tale of man's endurance, determination and perseverance in search of this elusive and beautiful creature. Slaght has a rare gift for startling evocations of the natural world.A refreshingly old-school, tautly strung adventure - Helen Macdonald * Guardian * Excellent.The brutality of human habitation is counterpoised with the brutality of the natural world. ‘Slaght makes the people, wildlife and landscape of the Russian Far East come alive. 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. He has spent time with the Russians who struggle on in the harsh conditions of the taiga forest.Īnd he has observed how Russia’s logging interests and evolving fortunes present new threats to the owl’s survival.

During months-long journeys covering thousands of miles, he has pursued it through its forbidding territory. Owls of the Eastern Ice is the story of Slaght’s quest to safeguard the elusive owl from extinction.

A chance encounter with this huge, strange bird was to change wildlife researcher Jonathan C. It is also home to one of nature’s rarest birds, the Blakiston’s fish owl. 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.

Owl of the eastern ice