Field Technician - Bird Banding

Mass Audubon•South Wellfleet, MA

6d•Onsite

About The Position

This position involves working with the Bird Banding Manager (permitted master bander) to help with all aspects of operating the seasonal, constant-effort mist netting banding station on Mass Audubon’s Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, a 1,100-acre coastal wildlife sanctuary in South Wellfleet, MA. Over the course of the fall season, (August 28-November 16, 2024) two Bird Banding Field Technicians help run Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay’s banding station seven days per week, weather permitting, for a roughly three-weeks-on, three-weeks-off schedule for a total of 6 weeks at Wellfleet Bay. During their time at Wellfleet Bay, the Bird Banding Field Technicians help oversee several volunteers and lead or co-lead several public banding demonstrations for school groups and adult audiences. Applicants are encouraged to consider separate employment with the Monomoy Bird Observatory, also in the fall season during alternate weeks.

Requirements

Experience removing songbirds from mist nets, banding them, and collecting morphometric data; please indicate in your cover letter how many birds you have processed
Strong familiarity with identification of eastern US songbirds required
Demonstrated experience utilizing judgment in field-based wildlife research and management projects
Strong interpersonal skills
Ability to lift approximately 50lbs
Be in good physical condition to allow for long days in the field
Willing to work weekends and holidays, weather permitting
Access to own vehicle and a reliable phone

Nice To Haves

B.S. or B.A. or higher in wildlife biology, ecology, zoology, environmental science, or related field, or equivalent experience preferred

Responsibilities

Assist with preseason inventory of all gear and maintain net lane vegetation working with Property Manager
Open nets each day and take them down at the end of banding
With banding assistants and select volunteers, conduct frequent net runs to remove all birds and bring them back to station for processing
Place federal aluminum bands on birds and collect various morphometric, weight, and other data on the bird’s condition before release
Help supervise a small number of volunteers who help scribe data and eventually, when comfortable, remove birds from nets and handle them during processing
Maintain effective communication about all job activities with Science Coordinator, Bird Banding Manager, and other external team members and support staff
Provide photos to Marketing and Outreach Coordinator and post photos to social media accounts
Conduct banding demonstrations for adults and children in coordination with our Education Department