Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Jun 4

🐣 WATCH as an Endangered Whooping Crane egg hatches! I had a ton of fun putting together this timelapse for @savingcranes.bsky.social. This is chick #13-435 aka "Petrie," named after the "Land Before Time" character. After a few months of care under our team, Petrie will be released into the wild.

WATCH: Endangered Whooping Crane Chick Hatches

YouTube video by International Crane Foundation

www.youtube.com

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · May 22

In March, I had the great honor of showing my bird-nerd friend @rachelpoke.bsky.social the great Sandhill Crane migration for the first time, as documented in this short by @hannahthewild.bsky.social and I for @savingcranes.bsky.social. Do watch! 🪶

Magic of Migration

YouTube video by International Crane Foundation

www.youtube.com

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · May 14

Very thrilled to see Crane Lake wine has replaced the Great Blue Heron on their label with an actual crane. It’s the little things these days…

Bottles of red wine with labels featuring a Sandhill Cranes

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · May 10

Today I'm trying to see how many bird species I can find in my county in 24hrs as part of the WI NRF Birdathon to raise money for the Bird Protection
Fund and the Madison Feminist Bird Club. Please consider pledging. Your support means a lot to me—and the
birds. charity.pledgeit.org/WIBirdathon2...

Support Ryan Michalesko - Great Wisconsin Birdathon 2025

Birds need our help! North America has lost over 3 billion birds since the 1970s, but we can help #BringBirdsBack. By donating to my page, you're supporting not only the Natural Resources Foundation o...

charity.pledgeit.org

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Reposted by Ryan Michalesko

Ashley Dayer @spokenbird.bsky.social · Jan 11

How can #birding be more accessible to people with #disability? See our research on constraints and facilitators!

Accessible birding in the United States: constraints to and facilitators of birding with disabilities

While approximately one-quarter of the U.S. population has a disability, many people with disabilities remain excluded from equitable participation in birding. In this study, we compared the constr...

www.tandfonline.com

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Reposted by Ryan Michalesko

International Crane Foundation @savingcranes.bsky.social · Apr 22

🌎 Stand up for the Endangered Species Act this Earth Day—submit public comments opposing the rule by May 19! Learn how you can help ⬇️ 🪶

Stand Up for the Endangered Species Act - International Crane Foundation

The International Crane Foundation provides critical news and resources in the world of Cranes and Conservation. Stand Up for the Endangered Species Act

bit.ly

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 22

This #EarthDay, I am standing up for the Endangered Species Act, which is under attack. Signed to law in 1973—the same year @savingcranes.bsky.social was established—the ESA is a keystone of conservation success and credited with saving 99% of the species it protects. Submit public comments by 5/19.

Stand Up for the Endangered Species Act - International Crane Foundation

The International Crane Foundation provides critical news and resources in the world of Cranes and Conservation. Stand Up for the Endangered Species Act

savingcranes.org

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 21

Thanks, Johan!

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 18

🌝Sandhill Cranes cruise past a nearly full moon at the Platte River, a breathtaking show of nature in Nebraska’s dawn sky.

A flock of Sandhill Cranes, warmly lit by the rising sun, cruise past a nearly full moon. The sky is blue, and there are just a few clouds looming in the background below the moon.

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 11

One of the most captivating and emblematic behaviors of cranes is their dancing. It's a way to establish social relationships, find a mate, and strengthen pair bonds. On the Platte River, these Sandhill Cranes were likely strengthening their bond in preparation to fly north to the breeding grounds.

A pair of Sandhill Cranes, warmly lit by the rising sun, stand facing each other with their wings outstretched and heads up in a dancing display.

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 7

There are so many cranes on the Platte that it can be a fight for space—as one flock takes flight, another fills in their spot. On our last morning on the river, researchers conducting aerial surveys estimated an all-time record of 736,000 Sandhill Cranes on the 80-mile stretch of the Platte River.

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 3

You can say that again

Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 3

It’s absolutely wild!!

Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 3

‼️‼️‼️

Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 3

Couldn’t agree more 🪶

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 2

When cranes all at once take skyward, you can feel it in your bones. The sounds of their bugles fill the air as much as their numbers darken the sky. Not long after settling into our blind, before the sun’s rays would strike the Platte River, we were immersed in this fantastic flight of cranes.

Tens of thousands of Sandhill Cranes take flight at once early in the morning while thousands more stand below. The sky is a deep blue without the sun having yet risen.

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 1

Thanks, Michelle

Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 1

Much appreciated 🙏🏼🙏🏼

Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Apr 1

It’s a must see for sure

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Mar 31

I’m here for it 😂😂

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Mar 31

I am buzzing with excitement just back from another trip to see this spectacle! There is something profound about the great Sandhill Crane migration at the Platte River. Each morning is like tuning in live to nature’s crescendo—soft purrs in low light transform into a booming, prehistoric orchestra.

Eight Sandhill Cranes take flight at first light after roosting overnight on the Platte River in Nebraska. A nearly full moon backs the birds, as the sky just begins to take on a pink hue.

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Mar 21

My heart is so full 🥹🥹

rachel 𓅥 @rachelpoke.bsky.social · Mar 20

making this sandhill crane tattoo for @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social was absolutely heightened by the experience we had this weekend at the platte river 🥹💓 a record high number of sandies were counted in an 80-mile stretch of the river this week (736,000!!!!), it was life-changing!

a tattoo of a sandhill crane dancing on Ryan's leg

rachel and ryan in the rowe sanctuary birding blind watching sandhill cranes on the platte river in the morning

sandhill cranes flying in front of the moon. thousands of sandhill cranes are sitting on the river

rachel's drawing of sandhill cranes on the river

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Mar 14

The GREAT migration. It was a glorious first evening on our trip to the Platte River, Nebraska, to document the great Sandhill Crane migration. There’s nothing like experiencing this much life right in front of you—it’s truly a natural marvel. @savingcranes.bsky.social #sandhillcranes #platteriver

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Feb 28

I’ll be standing up for science in one week at the Wisconsin State Capitol. March 7, 12-3pm. Join @standupforscience.bsky.social in Madison and nationwide. #scienceforall #sciencenotsilence

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Ryan Michalesko @ryanmichalesko.bsky.social · Feb 28

"Dr. Diana Boon, of @savingcranes.bsky.social, said the Sandhill Crane deaths due to #birdflu also highlight a greater concern: the risk to endangered Whooping Cranes. While there are an estimated 827,000 Sandhill Cranes, there are as few as 834 Whooping Cranes globally." — @usatoday.com

Fearing spread, volunteers clean up 1,500 Sandhill cranes killed by bird flu

Expert worry Sandhill cranes and other waterfowl will spread avian influenza to endangered whooping cranes.

www.usatoday.com

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