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

This is the story of Slaght's quest to safeguard the elusive owl from extinction. During months-long journeys covering thousands of miles, he has pursued it through its forbidding territory. He has spent time with the Russians who struggle on in the harsh conditions of the taiga forest. And he has observed how Russia's logging interests and evolving fortunes present new threats to the owl's survival. Preserving its habitats will secure the forest for future generations, both animal and human - but can this battle be won?

Praise for Owls of the Eastern Ice:

'A tautly strung adventure ... this book has changed me' --Helen Macdonald, author of H is for Hawk

'Remarkable. If only every endangered species had a guardian angel as impassioned, courageous and pragmatic as Jonathan Slaght' --Isabella Tree, author of Wilding

'Excellent' --The Times

'Gripping' --Dave Goulson, author of A Sting in the Tale

'True epic' --Charles Foster, author of Being a Beast

Visit Jonathan Slaght's website.

Jonathan will be in conversation with Sophy Roberts, author of The Lost Pianos of Siberia. Sophy is a writer based in West Dorset, England. She focuses on remote parts of the world where she can report on wildlife conservation, threats to eco-systems and fragile cultures. Sometimes she shoots stories as well as writes them and she frequently collaborates with major photographers. The Lost Pianos of Siberia is her first book.