SCVAS Speaker Series: Sophie Osborn

Feather Trails—A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds

“If you take care of birds, you take care of most of the environmental problems in the world,” according to conservationist Thomas Lovejoy. FEATHER TRAILS—A JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY AMONG ENDANGERED BIRDS is the compelling story of a young woman’s attempts to “take care of birds” by working to save three endangered species. As she introduces captive-reared Peregrine Falcons, Hawaiian Crows, and California Condors to the wild, she discovers not only what it takes to be a wildlife biologist, but also what threatens the birds that she and others work so passionately to save. And as she learns about the dangers that have imperiled these charismatic species, she discovers that what is harming them may well threaten our own lives too.

Bio:

Sophie Osborn is a wildlife biologist, conservationist, and author. She received her B. A. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and her M. S. degree from the University of Montana. Sophie’s wildlife work has included the study and conservation of more than a dozen bird species in the United States, Central America, and South America. She has contributed to reintroduction efforts for several endangered birds and served as the field manager for the California Condor Reintroduction Program in Arizona. Her chronicle of that experience, Condors in Canyon Country: The Return of the California Condor to the Grand Canyon Region, won numerous national and regional awards, including the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award for Nature and the Environment. Sophie’s popular writings have appeared in BirdWatching, Birding, Wyoming Wildlife, and Sojourns magazines. Sophie’s latest book, Feather Trails—A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds, will be published by Chelsea Green Publishing in May 2024.