The eagles came back. The data says so. I spent months counting them, hiking through mud and rain, writing numbers that were supposed to mean hope. Everyone wanted a success story. I wanted to believe it too. But every time I logged another sighting, I felt emptier. My advisor called it a conservation miracle. I called it a spreadsheet I stared at until my eyes burned. No one asked how many hours I lost to second-guessing every count, or how many times I thought about quitting before the next survey. The eagles are thriving. I’m still trying to remember what that feels like. #Science #ScienceFatigue #FieldworkBlues