Feather Trails—A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds
Presenter: Sophie A. H. Osborn

ZOOM ONLY – RESERVATION LINK TO BE POSTED – Cosponsored with Land of Lakes Bird Alliance

Birds are visible, vocal sentinels that alert us to environmental harms through their declining numbers or their failure to thrive. In her book Feather Trails—A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds, Sophie Osborn shares her personal experiences reintroducing endangered Peregrine Falcons, Hawaiian Crows, and California Condors to the wild. While immersing readers in the triumphs and tribulations of being a wildlife biologist, Sophie explores the threats that imperiled these birds, and reveals that what harmed them threatens us, too. She will discuss what led to the endangerment of these three captivating species, recount the efforts of biologists to recover their populations, and read a few excerpts from her book that describe what it was like to work with these magnificent birds.

Sophie A. H. Osborn is an award-winning writer and wildlife biologist whose work has included the study and conservation of more than a dozen bird species in the Americas. She contributed to reintroduction efforts for several endangered birds, including as a field manager for the California Condor Recovery Program in Arizona. Her first book, Condors in Canyon Country, won the 2007 National Outdoor Book Award for Nature and the Environment. Reviewers for the American Birding Association chose her second book, Feather Trails, as their favorite bird book of 2024. Sophie has written articles for Bird Conservation, BirdWatching, and Wyoming Wildlife magazines, and co-edited an anthology of short stories, Wild Work—Adventures of Women Field Biologists (publication date: September 2026). She also writes the “Words for Birds” blog.

Additional Information:

Sophie’s website: https://www.wordsforbirds.net/

Words for Birds blog on the Substack platform:  https://wordsforbirds.substack.com/