Nightjar Research Technician

Start Date: May 20, 2024

End Date: July 28, 2024 

(*position term may be extended pending additional project funds)

Project scope and position description:

The Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project (a project of the Maine Natural History Observatory) is seeking to hire a research technician to assist with various aspects of our 2024 field season focused on Eastern Whip-poor-wills and Common Nighthawks in Maine. Initiated in 2017, the Maine Nightjar Monitoring Project aims to support research and conservation efforts focused on Maine’s nightjars. Since its inception, the project has coordinated state-wide citizen science breeding season monitoring efforts. In an effort to expand our understanding of the status of Maine’s nightjars, the project partnered with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (MDIFW) and the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) in 2023 to coordinate a pilot project studying the breeding and movement ecology of Maine’s Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferous) and is expanding the project scope to also include Common Nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) during the 2024 field season.

Responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Participating in all training and orientation activities (both remote and in-person)
• Assisting with banding, nanotagging (Motus), and nest searching efforts at research sites throughout Maine
• Assisting with the deployment of infrared game cameras to remotely monitor nesting success
• Conducting vegetation surveys of nest sites post-fledging
• Conducting road-based nightjar surveys along monitoring routes throughout Maine
• Assisting with data entry from the road-based monitoring efforts

We are looking for applicants with the following qualifications: 

• Bachelor's Degree in wildlife biology, ecology, zoology, environmental science, or related field, or equivalent experience 
• Experience extracting birds from mist nets, banding them, and collecting morphometric data 
• Ability to identify bird species found in the eastern US, particularly nocturnal species
• Demonstrated experience working independently on field-based wildlife research projects, particularly banding and road-based point count surveys
• Experience traveling and working in remote areas independently 
• Strong interpersonal skills 
• Willingness to spend long hours outdoors in all types of weather 
• Willingness to work flexible hours, including nights, weekends, and holidays, weather permitting
• Ability to lift approximately 50 pounds
• Valid driver's license and a reliable vehicle**
• Reliable phone for communication
• Access to a computer for weekly time entry and data entry activities

**A vehicle may be issued for work-related activities, subject to availability. 

Position will be hired through the Maine Staffing Group. The hired individual is expected to submit their time in a timely manner (no later than 11:59 PM on the last day of the pay period). 

Please submit a resume with a cover letter and contact details for 3 professional references to logan@mainenaturalhistory.org. 

The application period will close on March 1, 2024.