Black-Billed Cuckoo Field Technician
Illinois Natural History Survey
Prairie Research Institute
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Worksite Location: Southern Wisconsin/Northern Illinois, centered near Madison, WI
Job Description
The Illinois Natural History Survey is seeking 2 field technicians to assist on an M.S. research project studying Black-billed Cuckoo (BBCU) migration. There has been minimal research conducted on these cryptic birds, and we seek to better understand their migration patterns, as well as the avian communities they occur with on the breeding grounds and travel with during migration.
Responsibilities will include conducting early-morning point counts, capturing BBCU with audio lures and mist nets to attach transmitters, deploying audio recording units, and data entry into Excel.
Qualifications
- Must have completed or be working towards a Bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology, ecology, environmental science, or related field.
- A driver’s license in the U.S. is required.
- Candidates must have experience identifying birds by sight and sound and know or be able to quickly learn to identify breeding birds of the Upper Midwest.
- Many of the point count locations are in dense forests and it may be difficult to see birds, so knowledge of bird songs and calls is a must.
- Prior experience conducting point counts is preferred, but not required.
- Prior experience handling and extracting birds from mist nets would be helpful but not required.
- The technicians hired will need to be able to work both independently or in a team of 2, depending on project needs.
- Consistent communication with the M.S. student and other technicians is a must.
- Candidates will need to be willing to wake up before dawn to travel to point count locations (up to 1.5-hour drive one-way) to conduct dawn point counts.
- Our point counts are accessed via trail networks, which are well-maintained, but the points themselves will be off-trail.
- The ability to navigate to marked points using GPS is preferred but not required.
- Candidates should expect work in inclement weather, heat, humidity, and biting insects (mosquitoes and ticks are abundant!).
Scheduling
- During May and early June, we will be attempting to capture BBCU, which may require late nights and early mornings. As such, the typical workday will be split, with approximately 4 hours of work in the morning and 4 hours of work in the evening. This may vary, but hours per week will not exceed 40.
- Weekends will be off.
- Start: Mid-May
- End: Mid-July
- Hours per week: 40
Salary: $15 - $17 per hour, depending on experience and education, up to 40 hours per week. Housing and work vehicles are provided.
To Apply: Email a cover letter, resume, and contact information for 3 references to Katrina Theisen (klt6@illinois.edu). Applications will be reviewed as they are received, and positions may be filled as suitable candidates are found.
The U of I is an EEO Employer/Vet/Disabled http://go.illinois.edu/EEO that participates in the federal e-Verify program and participates in a background check program focused on prior criminal or sexual misconduct history.