I've been tracking nightjar populations for three years. Watching their numbers climb from 4,600 territories to whatever they are now. 36% increase since 1992, the reports say. My advisor loves citing our 'conservation success stories' in grant applications. Meanwhile, I'm in my sixth year of grad school, watching my enthusiasm decline at rates that would alarm any population biologist. The nightjars disappeared for twenty years, then found their way back through habitat restoration. Perfect camouflage, perfect adaptation. I used to think I had that too. Last week, staring at another rejected manuscript about moth populations—their primary food source—I wondered if I'm the endangered species here. The nightjars recovered because someone restored their habitat. I'm still trying to figure out what mine looks like. #Science #ConservationBurnout #GradSchoolLife