Type: volunteer with accom., food, more (see below)
Organization: University of British Columbia
Location: Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru
I am seeking volunteer banders interested in working with tropical
birds in Peru. The project will take place betwe
en August 1 and
November 15 of 2015 at banding sites along an elevational gradient
from 400 – 3000m (lowland jungle to upper montane cloud forest) in the
southeastern Andes along the Manu Road. We work at several permanent
field stations along the Manu Road: Wayqecha (Cloud Forest, 2900m),
San Pedro (Lower Montane Rainforest, 1400m) and Pantiacolla (Lowland
Rainforest, 400m). We will spend approximately one month at each
station.
There are three volunteer bander positions available. Primary
activities include mist-netting and banding and collection of samples
from captured birds. We work six days a week at each field station
from approximately 6am to 6pm, with occasional data entry and
organization in the evenings. Field conditions are variable, depending
on the field station. Please visit our webpage (link below) for
specific details. Communication is reliable (mainly cell phone and
radio) at the two higher elevation stations, and limited or no
Internet. We camp in tents for the entirety of the season and cook for
ourselves (rice, pasta, legumes, cassava, plantain, and fresh
vegetables). All field stations, have reliable power or will have
generator power on a nightly basis.
Applicants should be in good physical condition, must be able to work
well in a group setting, and should be willing to work long hours
under difficult conditions (heat, rain, cold, high humidity and lots
of biting and stinging insects). Volunteers should have previous
banding experience. Ideally, applicants will have processed a minimum
of 200 birds and are comfortable with extractions.
In this position, we cover station fees, food and transportation to
and from the field sites for all assistants. Salaries and airfare to
Cusco, Peru, are not provided. This work is most appropriate for those
pursuing a career in ecology or behavior and who have previous field
experience working in remote locations. I am happy and open to
collaborations if volunteers are interested in developing independent
projects using the data being collected, and such students/researchers
are strongly encouraged to apply. We will accept applications for
field assistant positions until July 1st, but positions will begin
being filled by qualified applicants as soon as June.
