Project in Tropical Bird Ecology, Colombia

[sue_bertram]

Our research group is looking for driven and energetic students and researchers interested in working with tropical birds in Colombia. Our project will take place between May 1 and July 31 of 2015 at sites along different elevational gradient from 130 – 3400m (lowland jungle to montane treeline) in the central and western cordillera. We work at several permanent field stations Tatama National Park (Western Andes; 1300-2600m), Rio Manso (Magdalena Valley 500m), Farallones de Cali (Western Andes; 2200-2600m).

We have a number of volunteer positions available. Primary activities in this work include nest searching and monitoring as well as mist-netting and banding, collection of samples from captured birds, vegetation plots, field recordings, metabolic measurements, and playback experiments.

We work six days a week at each field station from approximately 6am to 6pm, with occasional data entry and organization in the evenings. Mist-netting teams are expected to hike to and work in more remote areas for up to two weeks at a time. Field conditions are variable, depending on the field station to which assistants are assigned. Please visit our webpage (link below) for specific details. In all cases, communication is reliable (mainly cell phone), 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). At 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). In this position, we cover station fees, food and transportation to and from the field sites for all assistants. Salaries and airfare to Cali-Colombia 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. There are often opportunities for students to develop thesis projects, and such students are strongly encouraged to apply. Please keep in mind that these are competitive positions and we receive many applicants each year. We will accept applications for field assistant positions until April 13.

To apply, please send a completed application form (available on our website) and your CV to colombiag...@gmail.com.

More information on the project and information for potential assistants can be found on our project webpage: http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/~jankowsk/ Colombia_Gradients.html"