Position: Bird Banding Assistant
Rocky Point Bird Observatory
www.rpbo.org

Background:
Rocky Point Bird Observatory (RPBO) is a registered non-profit society governed by a volunteer Board of Directors.  RPBO has operated bird banding and related programs on southern Vancouver Island since 1994. Rocky Point is located west of Victoria on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. RPBO is the westernmost of 25 member stations of the Canadian Migration Monitoring Network (CMMN) (www.bsc-eoc.org/national/cmmn) and the only CMMN station on the west coast of Canada.  Each year during the spring and fall migration periods, thousands of birds migrate through Rocky Point.  

RPBO’s primary role is to monitor the population trends, productivity and survivorship of migratory songbirds in coastal British Columbia through daily abundance surveys and bird banding.  The habitat at Rocky Point is diverse and composed of coastal Douglas fir forests, riparian streams, marshes, tidal flats and one of the few remaining areas of intact Garry oak habitat in Canada. These habitats are utilized by many bird species as they stopover during their migration to rest and feed. Through standardized bird surveys and banding we hope to continue to gain insight into the long-term conservation of western Canada’s migratory birds and to conserve Canada’s flora and fauna for future generations to enjoy.

RPBO also operates a nocturnal owl monitoring program, banding migratory Northern Saw-whet Owls. The Hummingbird Project of British Columbia has recently joined RPBO.

RPBO conducts breeding season banding and data collection for the Institute for Bird Populations, operating two Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship (MAPS) sites as part of a 500+ site network.

This project promises to give significant hands-on experience to a young scientist.

The position:
This position is offered under the auspices of the Federal Science Horizons Youth Internship and will provide the youth intern with significant technical skills and scientific knowledge invaluable for future scientific work related to Canada’s migratory birds.

The 6 month project is designed to track the population trends (including age and sex composition), productivity, and survival of over 95 species of migratory land birds during migration and breeding season at Rocky Point. It consists of a 3 to 4 month field season and a post-field season research and report/grant-writing phase.

Under the direction of the Bander-in-Charge, the 3 to 4 month field work component involves using internationally-accepted standard protocols of the Canadian Wildlife Service, the Bird Banding Lab, Bird Studies Canada and the Institute of Bird Populations to monitor birds by constant effort mist-netting, and by sight and sound surveys along established transects (land birds and seabirds). Specifically, the intern will assist in collecting field data, entering and managing data, and writing scientific reports under the mentorship of experienced biologists, banders and station managers.  The banding day typically starts 30 minutes before sunrise and ends approximately 7 to 7 ½ hours later.  Owl banding starts around sunset and ends approximately 6 ½ to 7 hours later.  Banding occurs every day, weather and site access permitting. There may also be some administrative work associated with MAPS and the Hummingbird Project.

During this internship, the intern will learn how to identify land bird species by sight and sound, how to safely hold and handle birds, and extract them from mist-nets. He or she will learn how to band and accurately age and sex birds, as well as discuss the ecological and biological concepts behind the observed patterns.

In addition to the field work, the intern will learn data management programs, including the software programs required for data submission by North American banders and will be involved in other administrative and management aspects of banding station operations, potentially including preparing habitat assessment reports, public relations, volunteer training and supervision, public education and grant application writing.  After the field work component, the intern may complete the balance of the project working from his or her home location, communicating with the field and scientific supervisor(s) by phone or email.  Reports and research may include analysis of data collected during and prior to the 2009 banding season.

Qualifications for the Science Horizons Youth Initiative:
Science Horizons youth participants will at the commencement of the internship:

• have graduated from a recognized post-secondary academic institution in one of the biological, environmental or related disciplines
• be out of school (fulltime studies)
• be unemployed or under-employed young scientists or post-secondary graduates in the sciences who are 30 years of age or under
• be legally entitled to work in Canada (This includes permanent residents of Canada but does not include 1) those awaiting permanent status, 2) persons with temporary work visas, such as students who have graduated and have temporary work visas)
• not have participated in Science Horizons or any other federal Youth Employment Strategy program except where (1) the work experience was terminated early due to employer business failure, participant became ill or incompatibility between employer/youth or (2) the component of the Youth Employment Strategy the youth participated under was for summer employment.
• consent to participate in the assessment of the program and may be required to provide their Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Qualifications for the Banding Assistant position:
Required:

• Familiarity with or a keen interest in birds
• Ability to work in outdoors during a wide range of weather conditions
• Attention to detail
• Record of accuracy
• Ability to work with others and independently
• Comfort with handling live birds
• Good judgment skills
• Own transportation to the banding location (not on public bus route)

Desired:

• Experience working with live birds, particularly bird banding experience
• Familiarity with western North American Bird species
• Experience working in a volunteer organization

Compensation:
Salary will be $10-$12 per hour (plus mandatory benefits) based on experience and qualifications.

Rustic (small unserviced trailer) accommodation will be made available as near as possible to the banding site if the successful candidate does not have local accommodation.

Start and end dates:
To be negotiated. Work days, days off, and shifts (songbird vs. owl banding during September and October) to be negotiated.

Submit résumé by email with available dates and references to

rpbo@rpbo.org

by July 10, 2009.

For more information, please contact Ann Nightingale, (motmot@shaw.ca; 250-514-6450)