Volunteer field assistants wanted for Hispaniolan Woodpecker behavioral ecology work in the 2016 field season!
PLEASE APPLY ONLY IF YOU CAN PARTICIPATE FOR A MINIMUM OF 3 MONTHS OF THE FIELD SEASON AND DO NOT REQUIRE A STIPEND. Field assistants (≥4) needed for a study of ecology of colonial, cooperative breeding and foraging behavior in the Hispaniolan Woodpecker in the Dominican Republic. Field research assistants will participate in data collection during an intensive 6.5-month field season. Assistant duties will include (but are not limited to) nest-searching, assisting with bird capture and processing, nest monitoring, focal behavioral observations (including nest watches and foraging records), assisting with tree-climbing, color-band reading, and data entry. I am currently looking for: o ≥2 half-term assistants to arrive between 24 and 26 January (though there is some flexibility with start date) and to remain until 30 April (the end date will be slightly flexible, too). Applications will be accepted until positions are filled. By the end of February, assistants will be given the option of extending their stay until the end of July. o ≥2 full-term assistants to arrive between 24 and 26 January (though there is some flexibility with start date) and to remain until 30 July (the end date will be slightly flexible, too). Applications will be accepted until positions are filled. Location: Piedra Blanca (near Jarabacoa and close to Salto Jimenoa II), La Vega province, Dominican Republic Job description: The Hispaniolan Woodpecker (Melanerpes striatus) nests colonially, ranging from 2 to as many as 20+ simultaneously active nests in the same tree, making it very unique among woodpeckers (only one other picid species of the more than 200 is known to nest in colonies). Additionally, the Hispaniolan Woodpecker is the most sexually size dimorphic of Melanerpes woodpeckers. Since 2012, I have been color-banding and observing these woodpeckers to better understand the social organization of colonies. Fieldwork in the 2016 field season will focus on further studying social organization of colonies, attempting to answer such questions as: 1) How commonly do supernumerary birds occur? 2) Do individuals simultaneously attend >1 nest? More generally, we will collect data to help test hypotheses regarding the costs, benefits, and consequences of group living, the operation of sexual selection in cooperative societies, and the evolutionary factors driving the woodpecker's extreme size dimorphism. An important secondary objective of our work will be studying how parasitic fly larvae in the genus Philornis impact nesting success. Field research assistants will participate in data collection during an intensive 6-month field season. Assistant duties will include (but are not limited to) nest-searching, assisting with bird capture and processing (including metal- and color-banding), nest monitoring, focal behavioral observations (including nest watches, dominance watches, and foraging records), assisting with tree-climbing, color-band reading, and data management and entry. All volunteers will have the opportunity to learn various tree-climbing techniques. Assistants will be trained to set up, operate, and take down a unique elevated mist-net system developed specifically for this project but with applications to other ornithological studies. Days will be long and the work will be physically and mentally demanding, but for those seeking to gain experience in field research, you won’t be disappointed. The workweek will typically be 6 days long in humid, mosquito-filled fields and forests, involving hiking sometimes muddy, steep hills, climbing barbed-wire fences, and avoiding bulls; this work will leave you exhausted at the end of the day! Assistants will be involved in all aspects of the project, including discussions of the conceptual framework of the project. Neotropical bird species are generally poorly known with many aspects of their natural history incomplete or wholly unknown. Hispaniola is an island with many poorly known native or endemic species that will reveal their intriguing secrets to those motivated and patient enough to look. While our work will focus primarily on Hispaniolan Woodpecker, opportunities to collect data on the island’s other avian denizens may arise, and we will exploit these opportunities when possible. Any such observations of other bird species made by field assistants may result in publications (so an added bonus of this fieldwork is the possibility of not only adding a publication to your CV but making a real contribution to our knowledge of Hispaniolan birds and Neotropical ornithology). That having been said, the woodpecker research takes priority. Dates: Half-term assistants- Start: ~24 January, End: ~30 April 2016. Full-term assistants- Start: ~24 January, End: ~30 July 2016. College graduates and undergraduates are encouraged to apply. Current college students are encouraged to apply for academic credit for their work at their home institution. Salary: Housing, drinking water, and research-related travel within the Dominican Republic will be covered. Assistants will be required to cover their costs of transportation to/from the Dominican Republic, and assistants will have to cover their food expenses (~$30 USD per week). Deadline: Until positions are filled Qualifications: Those with previous field experience (especially those who have bird-handling and/or behavioral observation experience) and a strong interest in bird behavior are highly preferred, but such skills are not absolutely necessary (indeed, I will train you with numerous field protocols). Other important qualifications include: o 1) willingness to work very long hours in tropical conditions (that means buggy, sweaty, and very wet), o 2) commitment to paying attention to detail (e.g., writing legibly) for the entire 3 to 6 months of work, o 3) ability to get along well with and be respectful of others in a very cramped environment (you will be in close contact with myself and 3-4 other field assistants for the whole 3 to 6 months; there is also the possibility of a local volunteer or two assisting with the project), o 4) ability and willingness to work alone or jointly in the field and to work in an area where encounters with venomous invertebrates are a very real possibility (there are plenty of bees, wasps, and ants; fortunately, though, there are no venomous snakes), o 5) good color vision (essential for distinguishing color-bands), o 6) willingness to cook (we will prepare nearly all meals and share cooking duties), o 7) willingness to contribute to general upkeep of living quarters (e.g., cleaning dishes, sweeping and cleaning the house, locking up, etc.), and o 8) an open mind, and a positive, pro-active attitude. o 9) Spanish language competency is a big plus! o 10) Applicants must have a strong interest in field research as a possible or definite career goal (i.e., applying because you’d like to see a tropical forest before going off to medical school is not something I’m looking for). Additional Desired Skills: I am especially interested in having 1-2 assistants with a strong background in botanical identification to help with cataloguing woodpecker food items. Digital ornithology represents another component of the work, including photo documentation of all captured birds. I am interested in having 1-2 assistants with strong photographing skills to help collect and curate photographs. Application instructions: Please send: 1) a cover letter (1 page) detailing your interests and career goals and how you see this internship fitting in with them, 2) a resume or CV (keep it to relevant details), 3) an unofficial transcript (or simple list of courses and grades on a spreadsheet), and 4) the names and contact information (email and phone) of 3 references (ideally with some experience with how you work in a research/field context). Please also indicate the nare of your professional relationship to EACH reference (e.g., field supervisor, academic advisor, professor for a class, etc.). PLEASE SPECIFY IN THE SUBJECT HEADING OF YOUR MESSAGE IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR THE HALF-TERM OR FULL-TERM POSITIONS. PLEASE ONLY APPLY IF YOU DO NOT REQUIRE A STIPEND. Contact: Joshua B. LaPergola email: jbl96 AT cornell.edu https://sites.google.com/site/joshlapergola/volunteer2016
