Birds are visible, vocal sentinels that alert us to environmental harms through their declining numbers or their failure to thrive. In her new 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.

Biography

Sophie A. H. Osborn is an award-winning environmental 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 and served as the field
manager for the California Condor Recovery Program in Arizona for four years. 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 (ABA) chose her second book,
Feather Trails, as their favorite bird book of 2024. Sophie has written articles for BirdWatching, Wyoming Wildlife, and Sojourns magazines. Her writings are also available on her website and her “Words for Birds” Substack blog.

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