SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️⚧️
@skwinnicki.bsky.social
Evolutionary ecologist & ornithologist, postdoc Ohio State | PhD UIUC, MSc Kansas State | SciComm, birding, and nature photography | certified Lawn Hater, Cowbird Apologist, Stress Physiology Enthusiast, Typo Lover | they/them 🏳️⚧️🏳️🌈 | skwinnicki.com
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Hi new followers, I’m SK!
Do you know that trope where a character is eaten alive by a dark secret and is forced to publicly confess it? That’s how I feel about every cool fact I learn, and until I can get back to teaching again they’re all coming out here, so buckle up!
Thread of fave posts:
Do you know that trope where a character is eaten alive by a dark secret and is forced to publicly confess it? That’s how I feel about every cool fact I learn, and until I can get back to teaching again they’re all coming out here, so buckle up!
Thread of fave posts:
If you’re anxious about the aurora because “we didn’t use to have the Northern Lights this far south,” don’t be!
The sun’s just doing a normal solar cycle like usual. We just now have cameras in our pocket that can detect aurora, and social media to spread the word to get out looking!
The sun’s just doing a normal solar cycle like usual. We just now have cameras in our pocket that can detect aurora, and social media to spread the word to get out looking!
November 15, 2025 at 3:24 AM
If you’re anxious about the aurora because “we didn’t use to have the Northern Lights this far south,” don’t be!
The sun’s just doing a normal solar cycle like usual. We just now have cameras in our pocket that can detect aurora, and social media to spread the word to get out looking!
The sun’s just doing a normal solar cycle like usual. We just now have cameras in our pocket that can detect aurora, and social media to spread the word to get out looking!
Reposted by SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️⚧️
After hearing them for years. I finally saw a flock of Mitred Parakeets in Orange County up close
📷🌿🪶
📷🌿🪶
November 15, 2025 at 1:09 AM
After hearing them for years. I finally saw a flock of Mitred Parakeets in Orange County up close
📷🌿🪶
📷🌿🪶
Nothing about these times is normal of course, but every once in awhile it hits me again how bad it sucks to be not only targeted by the president but also to have that just be rattled off in a list of “achievements.”
To my trans peers: I love you and someday it’ll be better for us
To my trans peers: I love you and someday it’ll be better for us
November 15, 2025 at 1:56 AM
Nothing about these times is normal of course, but every once in awhile it hits me again how bad it sucks to be not only targeted by the president but also to have that just be rattled off in a list of “achievements.”
To my trans peers: I love you and someday it’ll be better for us
To my trans peers: I love you and someday it’ll be better for us
Chat is it a good sign when the plumbers’ recommendation is “If it’s yellow let it mellow if it’s brown flush it down. Or better yet, no brown here”
Got sewage outflow pipes so broken at this rental that they’ve trapped the plumber’s snake so thoroughly he’s calling in reinforcements 😬
November 15, 2025 at 1:23 AM
Chat is it a good sign when the plumbers’ recommendation is “If it’s yellow let it mellow if it’s brown flush it down. Or better yet, no brown here”
Given how often headlines about gun violence are contorted to avoid active voice (“unarmed man was shot” or “person dead in officer-involved shooting”) I feel like this is a wild time to do better
November 15, 2025 at 1:07 AM
Given how often headlines about gun violence are contorted to avoid active voice (“unarmed man was shot” or “person dead in officer-involved shooting”) I feel like this is a wild time to do better
I’ll be done aurora-posting soon.
But I wanted to add: Columbus is a big city with vibrant immigrant communities.
Word spread that you could see it from the dam, so by this substorm there were ~50 people up there with me. Shouts of joy and awe in so many languages, a memory I’ll forever treasure
But I wanted to add: Columbus is a big city with vibrant immigrant communities.
Word spread that you could see it from the dam, so by this substorm there were ~50 people up there with me. Shouts of joy and awe in so many languages, a memory I’ll forever treasure
This is my last and longest of three aurora threads, for the final substorm I saw from Columbus Ohio USA. It was by far the most brilliant and the strongest (at one point visible *south* of us)! It started ~11:30PM local time and lasted a full half-hour. Just unbelievably stunning!
1/10
1/10
November 14, 2025 at 11:55 PM
I’ll be done aurora-posting soon.
But I wanted to add: Columbus is a big city with vibrant immigrant communities.
Word spread that you could see it from the dam, so by this substorm there were ~50 people up there with me. Shouts of joy and awe in so many languages, a memory I’ll forever treasure
But I wanted to add: Columbus is a big city with vibrant immigrant communities.
Word spread that you could see it from the dam, so by this substorm there were ~50 people up there with me. Shouts of joy and awe in so many languages, a memory I’ll forever treasure
Reposted by SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️⚧️
Dang, hard disagree. The best papers to write and read are works of art, not merely a list of data and statements.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
I honestly think we would all be a lot more productive if papers were bullet points with plots.
November 14, 2025 at 10:22 PM
Dang, hard disagree. The best papers to write and read are works of art, not merely a list of data and statements.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Don’t let LLMs take this away too, for gods sake.
Reposted by SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️⚧️
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
November 14, 2025 at 9:25 PM
Oh wow @reuters.com got the photo here:
Got sewage outflow pipes so broken at this rental that they’ve trapped the plumber’s snake so thoroughly he’s calling in reinforcements 😬
November 14, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Got sewage outflow pipes so broken at this rental that they’ve trapped the plumber’s snake so thoroughly he’s calling in reinforcements 😬
Found a new favorite anti-science conspiracy theory: a Facebook account going around to aurora photos as vivid as this and trying to convince people it’s just your phone or camera over-saturating ambient light.
November 14, 2025 at 9:35 PM
Found a new favorite anti-science conspiracy theory: a Facebook account going around to aurora photos as vivid as this and trying to convince people it’s just your phone or camera over-saturating ambient light.
The “What’s this Bird?” Facebook group is mostly photos of common birds that beginners are struggling to identify (and that’s great! a good and useful function)
And then every once in awhile it’s a mega rarity, like some wagtail species in Florida. We love to see it.
And then every once in awhile it’s a mega rarity, like some wagtail species in Florida. We love to see it.
November 14, 2025 at 9:00 PM
The “What’s this Bird?” Facebook group is mostly photos of common birds that beginners are struggling to identify (and that’s great! a good and useful function)
And then every once in awhile it’s a mega rarity, like some wagtail species in Florida. We love to see it.
And then every once in awhile it’s a mega rarity, like some wagtail species in Florida. We love to see it.
I assumed my phone would’ve shown the multiple data apps I toggle between as a track aurora but nope that’s y’all here on Bluesky.
The first good look I ever got at an aurora was because I saw a tweet that said “go outside right now!” so I try to be that for other people now haha
The first good look I ever got at an aurora was because I saw a tweet that said “go outside right now!” so I try to be that for other people now haha
November 14, 2025 at 8:37 PM
I assumed my phone would’ve shown the multiple data apps I toggle between as a track aurora but nope that’s y’all here on Bluesky.
The first good look I ever got at an aurora was because I saw a tweet that said “go outside right now!” so I try to be that for other people now haha
The first good look I ever got at an aurora was because I saw a tweet that said “go outside right now!” so I try to be that for other people now haha
Stuck at home waiting on repair contractors and feeling a bit unhinged
So please enjoy the actual uncropped version of this photo, the first ever taken of me with my beloved sky lights.
See why I cropped it? Lol. Getting roasted for it in the sibling group chat.
So please enjoy the actual uncropped version of this photo, the first ever taken of me with my beloved sky lights.
See why I cropped it? Lol. Getting roasted for it in the sibling group chat.
November 14, 2025 at 8:21 PM
Stuck at home waiting on repair contractors and feeling a bit unhinged
So please enjoy the actual uncropped version of this photo, the first ever taken of me with my beloved sky lights.
See why I cropped it? Lol. Getting roasted for it in the sibling group chat.
So please enjoy the actual uncropped version of this photo, the first ever taken of me with my beloved sky lights.
See why I cropped it? Lol. Getting roasted for it in the sibling group chat.
Light pollution is a relatively easy-to-address environmental problem.
I’ve tried talking about it through the lenses of human and wildlife wellbeing, plus preventing insect, bird, and bat fatalities.
Never got as much conversation as this post. Yet another reason to be grateful for the aurora ❤️
I’ve tried talking about it through the lenses of human and wildlife wellbeing, plus preventing insect, bird, and bat fatalities.
Never got as much conversation as this post. Yet another reason to be grateful for the aurora ❤️
Lots of folks captioning aurora photos like "for a few minutes we didn't think about politics"
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
guess I'm built different, every time I'm out trying to see night sky stuff I frequently think about how much light pollution is entirely preventable with just a tiny bit of regulation
November 14, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Light pollution is a relatively easy-to-address environmental problem.
I’ve tried talking about it through the lenses of human and wildlife wellbeing, plus preventing insect, bird, and bat fatalities.
Never got as much conversation as this post. Yet another reason to be grateful for the aurora ❤️
I’ve tried talking about it through the lenses of human and wildlife wellbeing, plus preventing insect, bird, and bat fatalities.
Never got as much conversation as this post. Yet another reason to be grateful for the aurora ❤️
The world isn’t kind and forgiving enough to accommodate the realities of real life.
I try to be as kind and forgiving as I possibly can be, to resist the urge to be rude when I’m slighted, to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
But good lord are these negligent property managers testing me.
I try to be as kind and forgiving as I possibly can be, to resist the urge to be rude when I’m slighted, to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
But good lord are these negligent property managers testing me.
November 14, 2025 at 7:10 PM
The world isn’t kind and forgiving enough to accommodate the realities of real life.
I try to be as kind and forgiving as I possibly can be, to resist the urge to be rude when I’m slighted, to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
But good lord are these negligent property managers testing me.
I try to be as kind and forgiving as I possibly can be, to resist the urge to be rude when I’m slighted, to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.
But good lord are these negligent property managers testing me.
I think it’s fucked up that landlords ask for recommendations from your last landlord before accepting you as a tenant.
So there’s so much incentive for tenants to just accept the abuse of a current landlord, if complaining will affect their ability to move.
So there’s so much incentive for tenants to just accept the abuse of a current landlord, if complaining will affect their ability to move.
November 14, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I think it’s fucked up that landlords ask for recommendations from your last landlord before accepting you as a tenant.
So there’s so much incentive for tenants to just accept the abuse of a current landlord, if complaining will affect their ability to move.
So there’s so much incentive for tenants to just accept the abuse of a current landlord, if complaining will affect their ability to move.
In addition to a collapsing roof, the basement has been backing up with raw sewage for weeks
Once again asked the property managers for help on Sunday. They asked for my availability on Monday, I told them I need 24 hr notice to switch to work-from-home. Asked Wed if they’d scheduled something
1/2
Once again asked the property managers for help on Sunday. They asked for my availability on Monday, I told them I need 24 hr notice to switch to work-from-home. Asked Wed if they’d scheduled something
1/2
November 14, 2025 at 4:52 PM
In addition to a collapsing roof, the basement has been backing up with raw sewage for weeks
Once again asked the property managers for help on Sunday. They asked for my availability on Monday, I told them I need 24 hr notice to switch to work-from-home. Asked Wed if they’d scheduled something
1/2
Once again asked the property managers for help on Sunday. They asked for my availability on Monday, I told them I need 24 hr notice to switch to work-from-home. Asked Wed if they’d scheduled something
1/2
Today’s the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald, which went down in the Great Lakes with no survivors
“Wait wasn’t that a few days ago?” Nah you’re thinking of the other Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in the Great Lakes with no survivors
greatlakespeopleandplaces.com/2017/09/22/h...
“Wait wasn’t that a few days ago?” Nah you’re thinking of the other Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in the Great Lakes with no survivors
greatlakespeopleandplaces.com/2017/09/22/h...
How the Fitzgerald Sank Twice
An excerpt
greatlakespeopleandplaces.com
November 14, 2025 at 3:06 PM
Today’s the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald, which went down in the Great Lakes with no survivors
“Wait wasn’t that a few days ago?” Nah you’re thinking of the other Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in the Great Lakes with no survivors
greatlakespeopleandplaces.com/2017/09/22/h...
“Wait wasn’t that a few days ago?” Nah you’re thinking of the other Edmund Fitzgerald, which sunk in the Great Lakes with no survivors
greatlakespeopleandplaces.com/2017/09/22/h...
Had to just look my dog in the eyes and admit that I was delaying taking her out to the yard to pee because I was too busy posting about how she’s the best and I’d do anything for her
November 14, 2025 at 5:19 AM
Had to just look my dog in the eyes and admit that I was delaying taking her out to the yard to pee because I was too busy posting about how she’s the best and I’d do anything for her
I did my PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, which has more Chinese students than any other US university. I had the privilege of teaching and collaborating with Chinese students there.
This makes me indescribably angry for them and for all of us who benefit from our work together
This makes me indescribably angry for them and for all of us who benefit from our work together
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 5:10 AM
I did my PhD at the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, which has more Chinese students than any other US university. I had the privilege of teaching and collaborating with Chinese students there.
This makes me indescribably angry for them and for all of us who benefit from our work together
This makes me indescribably angry for them and for all of us who benefit from our work together
Reposted by SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️⚧️
when there's a flock of pigeons and there's one single brown one. love that.
November 14, 2025 at 4:33 AM
when there's a flock of pigeons and there's one single brown one. love that.
I picked up some heart issues with a nasty covid bout 3 years ago. My dog alerts me when my heart is acting up, but I wear a cheap fitbit for when she’s not around
And I occasionally bump it and set a timer without realizing, so my “is my heart ok?” bracelet frantically buzzes and says “TIME’S UP”
And I occasionally bump it and set a timer without realizing, so my “is my heart ok?” bracelet frantically buzzes and says “TIME’S UP”
November 14, 2025 at 4:10 AM
I picked up some heart issues with a nasty covid bout 3 years ago. My dog alerts me when my heart is acting up, but I wear a cheap fitbit for when she’s not around
And I occasionally bump it and set a timer without realizing, so my “is my heart ok?” bracelet frantically buzzes and says “TIME’S UP”
And I occasionally bump it and set a timer without realizing, so my “is my heart ok?” bracelet frantically buzzes and says “TIME’S UP”
Just aching for colleagues and peers and students in Texas right now.
Also they’re setting up a hotline to report faculty, I sure hope that number becomes available
Also they’re setting up a hotline to report faculty, I sure hope that number becomes available
Let me fix that for you:
Texas A&M is limiting how instructors may discuss gender identity and race in classrooms in an assault on academic freedom unseen in America since the Red Scare.
Texas A&M is limiting how instructors may discuss gender identity and race in classrooms in an assault on academic freedom unseen in America since the Red Scare.
November 14, 2025 at 3:05 AM
Just aching for colleagues and peers and students in Texas right now.
Also they’re setting up a hotline to report faculty, I sure hope that number becomes available
Also they’re setting up a hotline to report faculty, I sure hope that number becomes available
Reposted by SK Winnicki, PhD 🏳️⚧️
People, especially Americans, have forgotten that politics are not a team sport, but rather a tool to serve the common good in our communities. Everything is connected and compartmentalizing is why there is so much cognitive dissonance re: government and its purpose.
November 14, 2025 at 12:28 AM
People, especially Americans, have forgotten that politics are not a team sport, but rather a tool to serve the common good in our communities. Everything is connected and compartmentalizing is why there is so much cognitive dissonance re: government and its purpose.
I’ve seen mid-latitude aurora 6 nights before this week, but always by myself or with only my dog.
Tuesday night (11 November 2025) was the first time friends joined me, and therefore the first time I have a picture of me and the aurora together.
From the 9:30 PM EST substorm ❤️💚
Tuesday night (11 November 2025) was the first time friends joined me, and therefore the first time I have a picture of me and the aurora together.
From the 9:30 PM EST substorm ❤️💚
November 14, 2025 at 2:31 AM
I’ve seen mid-latitude aurora 6 nights before this week, but always by myself or with only my dog.
Tuesday night (11 November 2025) was the first time friends joined me, and therefore the first time I have a picture of me and the aurora together.
From the 9:30 PM EST substorm ❤️💚
Tuesday night (11 November 2025) was the first time friends joined me, and therefore the first time I have a picture of me and the aurora together.
From the 9:30 PM EST substorm ❤️💚