Kirtland’s Warbler Experimental Habitat Monitoring Technician

Position Summary:

Title: Kirtland’s Warbler Experimental Habitat Monitoring Technician (4 openings)

Supervisor: ABC Great Lakes Private Lands Director and USDA Forest Service Project Lead

Location: Grayling, MI

Job Type: Temporary; 12 weeks (May – July)

Salary: $2,800 per month

Application Deadline: Open until filled; Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis

Introduction:

The mission of American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is to conserve birds and their habitats – the places birds need to thrive – across the Americas. We are a growing group of 140+ dedicated staff, located across the United States and with a network of partners from Canada to Chile. Each year, we grow in budget and staff, and we deliver more results aimed at preventing bird species extinctions and reversing declines that are reducing populations of nearly all bird groups. Our work is guided by our principles, which include a commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI). For more information on ABC, visit abcbirds.org.

We are seeking motivated, self-starting, and detail-oriented field technicians (4) with songbird monitoring experience, to assist with American Bird Conservancy (ABC), USDA Forest Service, and Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center’s research on the Kirtland’s Warbler in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The field season will be from approximately May 10 to July 10 (dates somewhat flexible). Supervision, daily direction, training, and support will be provided by ABC and USDA Forest Service (USFS) staff.

Kirtland’s Warbler is a conservation-reliant species, relying on active forest management to create its preferred nesting habitat of pure stands of dense, early-age jack pine. Stands are typically produced through timber clear cuts followed by tree planting. To mitigate economic challenges associated with stand regeneration and increase biodiversity potential, experimental stands of either mixed jack and red pine or variable density jack pine stands were created between 2015-2022 by Federal and Michigan state land managers. Monitoring objectives include: (1) determining Kirtland’s Warbler occupancy, pairing rate, and reproductive success in experimental and traditional habitat plantations, and (2) relate demographic parameters to habitat quality measures.

Primary Duties:

• Visit study areas throughout the breeding season to conduct observation-based mapping of individually sighted singing males.
• Conduct nest searching by following males and females using behavioral cues.
• Follow pairs throughout the breeding season to find nests, monitor nests for success/failure, and find potential re-nesting attempts.
• Conduct vegetation sampling to describe habitat conditions.

Position Requirements:

• Prior songbird monitoring experience with following individual birds, observing behavior, and behavioral nest searching.
• Successful candidates will be flexible, independently motivated, and show strong initiative.
• Candidates must be willing and physically able to spend long days in the field, navigating dense jack pine stands with cold mornings and hot afternoons, 5-6 days a week for the duration of the season.
• Background screening required
• All candidate must be authorized to work in the US; US Citizen or Permanent Resident
• Standard work days will begin around 6-6:30 a.m. and end in early afternoon. Work hours will not exceed 40 hours per week.
• Shared housing and a field vehicle will be provided at no cost.
• Field sites are located across beautiful northern Michigan with teams based near Grayling, Michigan.
• Great canoeing, bird watching, fly fishing, and other recreational opportunities exist in the area.
• There are other ongoing Kirtland’s Warbler projects this year (led by Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center), so there will be opportunities to interact with the other teams. This position is ideal for students and recent graduates with relevant field experience looking to expand their skills in ornithological field work and research as they prepare for graduate school or a career in research and conservation.

Benefits:

This position is not eligible for benefits.