Owl on the Far East Icefield

About This Novel

When Jonathan Slater was a novice birdwatcher, he came across one of Earth's mysterious birds, one that was larger than any owl he knew and looked like a small, feathered bear. He took a photo and shared it with experts. This is the largest owl in the world - the Hairy-legged Fishing Owl. Slat then embarked on a five-year research journey to search for this huge and mysterious creature in the dense and remote forests of eastern Russia. Although the hairy-legged fishing owl has a wingspan of 6 feet and a height of more than 2 feet, they are always elusive. Humans know very little about them, and the information available for reference is extremely limited. They are most easily spotted in winter because they leave large, distinctive tracks on snowy riverbanks as they forage. The hairy-legged fishing owl is also an endangered species. So Slater and his team set out to capture the owl for study and try to develop a conservation plan to help the species survive. In order to complete their mission, they had to face various challenges: monitoring all night in an icy tent, driving frantically across melting glaciers, and climbing unprotected into decaying trees to inspect precious fishing owl eggs in their nests. To catch and track fishing owls, they use sophisticated positioning equipment and improvise clever traps, and must always be wary of conflicts with bears or Siberian tigers. Under Slat's unusually vivid, precise, yet humorous narration, the true colors of the hairy-legged fishing owls are gradually revealed: they are cunning hunters, loyal parents, a strange "duet couple", raptors that are not good at holding grudges and relatively docile, and a rare species that survives tenaciously in harsh conditions and shrinking habitats. In addition, Slater also writes hilariously about the various characters living in the Russian border areas: the alcoholic villagers who seem to never be sober and live on vodka, the eccentric recluse who fled to the wilderness after a failed deal with the gang, and the people who live in order to sell money. The ignorant boy who hunted the hairy-legged fishing owl for meat bait for $10 of mink skin... Slater did not hesitate to write about the large and small cities and villages he passed or stopped along the way, paying attention to the history of these places, as well as their development during the Soviet collective economy period and their current decline. Slater uses a thrilling field note to comprehensively reveal to readers the creatures, humans, settlements, natural landscapes and cultural features on this Far Eastern ice sheet.

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