*Job Title*: Avian Field Technician

*Agency: *West Virginia University

*Location: *Allegheny National Forest, Pennsylvania

*Job Category*: Temporary/Seasonal position

*Dates:* Flexible, but expected to start July 15th and end by October 31st.

*Salary:* $1600/month; field housing and work vehicle provided.

*Project Description*: Seeking a highly motivated field technician to

assist with mist netting, insect trapping, fruit surveys, and vegetation

surveys from July 15th to October 31st. The technician will be

participating in a project assessing the impacts of spotted wing drosophila

(*Drosophila suzukii* Matsumura, SWD), a nonnative invasive insect pest of

fruiting plants, on forest bird communities. SWD causes extensive damage to

vital fruit resources, which could have dramatic consequences for

fruit-consuming wildlife, especially frugivorous birds.

Field work will be conducted at Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in

northwestern Pennsylvania. Daily work will consist of early mornings and

will require extensive walking on hot summer days with little cover through

dense, difficult-to-traverse vegetation. The ideal applicant will need to

be physically fit, able to work long days, flexible with day-to-day tasks,

and comfortable working both with others and independently. While the

applicant will be working closely with the grad student leading the

project, they will need to be able to run nets, extract birds, and band

birds without supervision. The ideal applicant will also bring a positive

attitude, a hard work ethic, and enthusiasm for avian ecology research. In

addition to early and long days, the applicant can expect to work at least

5-7 days per week (including weekends), with days off for inclement

weather. Housing and field vehicle will be on-site and provided through the

project, though cell service and internet might be limited.

*Primary Duties:*

·         Set up mist-nets, conduct net runs, and extract birds safely and

quickly

·         Band, age, and sex birds, and collect multiple morphological

measurements

·         Conduct fruiting plant surveys following mist-netting

·         Preparing, erecting, and collecting fruit fly traps

·         Conduct vegetation surveys simultaneous with fruit surveys

*Additional Duties:*

·         Data entry and data proofing

·         Processing fruit samples for parasitism by SWD

·         Sorting adult fly samples from fly traps

*Qualifications:*

·         Previous experience mist netting, banding, and ageing/sexing birds

·         Ability to identify eastern U.S. bird species (especially during

migration)

·         Possess (or working towards) a Bachelor of Science degree in

wildlife science, natural resources, or a similar field

·         Comfortable working in a remote outdoor setting

·         Valid driver’s license with a clean driving record

·         Northeastern fruiting plant species ID skills and experience with

taking bird measurements are also highly desirable.

To apply, please email 1) a cover letter outlining relevant work

experiences with mist netting passerines in forest ecosystems, 2)

resume/CV, and 3) contact information for 3 references to Dan Roche at

dpr0008@mix.wvu.edu. Applications will be reviewed as received. Deadline

for applications will be April 31st, 2019.

*Contact Person:* Dan Roche

*Contact Email:* dpr0008@mix.wvu.edu

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