Field assistant for bird breeding season

Two field assistants required for bird breeding season for ~ 3 months (casual rate, Unimelb scale)

This is a great opportunity to gain valuable field skills, and experience in research and data collection. The focal species for these studies is the iconic superb fairy-wren.

Field site: Campbell Park, located a 10-minute drive from the city centre in Canberra, Australia. Fieldwork has been conducted at this site for 20 years so data collected will contribute to a long-term dataset.

Details: The field assistant will be part of a small team of researchers, who will be in the field site some days. Most days will require independent data collection in the field and communication of findings. The assistant will be required to work 4 days per week, 5 hours per day in the field and must be physically fit as they will be required to walk around the park, sometimes 10km per day.

This is a paid casual position, and the rate will be appropriate for the qualification level of the candidate (using the University of Melbourne casual rate salary scale). Teamwork and communication skills are essential. The candidate must also be self-motivated, enthusiastic, reliable and have a good work ethic. Previous experience working with birds in the field or a degree in biology is desirable but not essential as we will provide training in the field methods required. In addition, previous bird banding experience is an advantage but not mandatory.

Main field duties: Finding nests, monitoring breeding attempts and documenting group dynamics throughout the breeding season. The field assistant will be required to identify individuals by their colour band code using binoculars.

Precautions for Covid-19 can be practiced during this work as social distancing can easily be implemented. Please note airfares and visas cannot not be paid for, as it is a paid position. Please check you are able to travel to Canberra (Australia) before applying, and also note that some visas have wait times for approval.

The field assistant will be required from the end of October 2023 to the end of January 2024.

If you are interested or require more information, please email me at claire.taylor2@unimelb.edu.au explaining a little about yourself, including interests, a CV with any prior experience and referees.

Claire Taylor

Post-doctoral Researcher,

The University of Melbourne