The physical impression first given by a Blakiston’s Fish Owl is that of a small bear (“small” relative to the size of a bear, that is) with wings. Standing more than two feet high, with a wingspan exceeding six feet, and a body mass that not only looks proportionally larger than other owls due to their shaggy plumage but actually is, these massive owls of the far eastern portion of Asia are the largest of any living owl species.
Studying these owls not only takes all the knowledge and skills normally expected of a field biologist, it takes exceptional physical and mental stamina, as well as the willingness to endure the harsh environment the owls call home.
Jonathan C. Slaght possesses all these things, and in his recently published Owls of the Eastern Ice; a Quest to Find and Save the World’s Largest Owl, he presents the story of both these remarkable owls as well as the people who are not only enduring the hardships necessary to achieve a better understanding of them in order to preserve them as a continuing species, they are genuinely often risking their own lives to do so.
For all who enjoy a book that is as informative in what it conveys as it is exciting in how it recounts its story, Owls of the Eastern Ice is a book that should be immediately added to your reading list – if it isn’t there already.
Available from:
