*Job Title:* Avian Field Technician

*Agency: *West Virginia University

*Location: *Allegheny National Forest, Irvine, 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 approximately July 15th to October 31st. The technician will

participate 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

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 work closely with the grad student leading the project, they

will need 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 an irregular work week, 5 days per

week (including at least some 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:*

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

quickly

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

measurements

Ò·      Conduct fruiting plant surveys following mist-netting

Ò·      Prepare, erect, and collect fruit fly traps

Ò·      Conduct vegetation surveys simultaneous with fruit surveys

*Additional Duties: *

Ò·      Data entry and data proofing

Ò·      Process fruit samples for parasitism by SWD

Ò·      Sort adult fly samples from fly traps

*Qualifications:*

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

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

migration)

Ò·      Possess a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife science, ecology,

natural resources, or a similar field

Ò·      Comfortable working in a remote outdoor setting

Ò·      Valid driverâÂEURÂ(tm)s license with a clean driving record

Ò·      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 application is April 30, 2020.

*Contact Person:* Dan Roche

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

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