Researching piping plovers and whooping cranes looks quite different, even though the intentions for the data may be the same. One fits in the palm of your hand, while the other is the size of a Labrador retriever.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission bird biologist and piping plover and least tern specialist, Elsa Forsberg, has worked with birds through much of her schooling and now as a professional scientist. She also realizes the power of story and reaching audiences in alternative ways. Together, Mike and Elsa reminisce on past Halloweens when Elsa opted for birdwatching in place of trick-or-treating, and that first moment when a family of whopping cranes flew right over them, sealing their fate.