Join MRVAC members and guests Thursday, Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. to hear Dr. Jonathan Slaght (rhymes with “cat”), the  Minnesota author who recently published the Times Nature Book of the Year, Owls of the Eastern Ice.  Dr. Slaght will take us on his adventure – part of his Ph.D. dissertation fieldwork – into the Siberian winter to find, study, and hopefully save the world’s largest and most elusive owl.

The book is rich in details about the dense forests of the Russian Far east – Amur tigers, frozen rivers, radioactive hot springs – and the Blakiston’s Fish Owl, a subgroup of eagle owls that specialize in hunting in riparian areas, including grabbing fish from holes in the river ice.  Dr. Slaght is a talented writer who profiles the colorful characters – hermits and fellow fieldworkers alike – with whom he worked.  He provides details birders find fascinating, including how to trap a 10-pound nocturnal raptor for study.  He is a wildlife biologist and author working for the Wildlife Conservation Society as its Russia & Northeast Asia Coordinator.