When he was just a fledgling bird-watcher, Jonathan C. Slaght had a chance encounter with one of the most mysterious birds on Earth, one that looked like a small bear with decorative feathers. Inspired by that moment, he set out on a five-year search for this enormous, enigmatic creature in the lush, remote forests of eastern Russia. Despite a wingspan of six feet and a height of over two feet, the Blakiston's fish owl is highly elusive. They are easiest to find in winter, when their tracks mark the snowy banks of the rivers where they feed. They are also endangered. And so Slaght and his devoted team begin their quest, one with all-night monitoring missions in freezing rents, mad dashes across thawing rivers, free-climbs up rotting trees to check nests for eggs, and the ever-present threat of run-ins with bears and Amur tigers. An ode to these majestic creatures-cunning hunters, singers of eerie duets, and survivors in a harsh and shrinking habitat-Owls of the Eastern Ice is a rare glimpse into the everyday life of a field scientist and conservationist. Book jacket.