Duties
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The volunteer position involves, banding
birds, extracting birds from mist nets, conducting the census, and
casual birding. As a volunteer, you will be involved in all
aspects of our research and training is provided. However,
the level of involvement will
depend on your experience and how quickly you master the skills
needed. Only experienced birders are allowed to conduct
the census.
The volunteer position also involves cooking, gathering
firewood, trail and net lane maintenance, data entry, grocery runs,
washing dishes, etc. Because of our unique situation, living
and working on isolated coastal islands, everyone must participate in
the day to day chores. The position is definitely teamwork
oriented. We do not always have the comforts of
home (electricity, showers, fresh produce, etc.) and extra effort is
required by team members to ensure that all runs smoothly (we cannot
simply run to the corner store if we run out of milk).
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Research
Involvement
The
banding program requires handling birds. Extracting birds
from nets can be quite
difficult for a novice. The mist-net string is very fine and
a patient / delicate disposition and good EYESIGHT is
required. Experienced personnel are responsible for training
all new volunteers. However, not everyone learns at the same
rate. For some, the skills can take two weeks or more to
learn. Please keep this in mind when scheduling your
volunteer placement. During extremely busy times,
less training will be provided, because processing the birds quickly
and safely takes top priority! During these times,
inexperienced volunteers will help out by
“scribing” data, handing birds to the
bander, and bringing birds back to the banding lab. These
busy
times are often associated with “fallouts” and they
can be very exciting, so birding between net runs is useful.
The ABO needs volunteers who are interested in banding and/or
birding. If you feel that the banding component of our
research is not up your alley, but you love birding, then we can still
use your help. There are two areas where you could be
directly involved in our research. We conduct a daily
standard census and encourage volunteers to casually bird throughout
the remainder of the day. The more eyes we have looking for
birds, the better we are able to detect and monitor migrants.
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Travel
We use a boat to get to and from the
island. You will be required to climb up and down vertical
wharf ladders at low and high tides and because the weather is not
always cooperative during these trips, quick movements such as jumping
in and out of
the boat can be necessary.
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Seal Island is located approximately 25 km
offshore, a 2-3 hour boat ride. Expect a variety of weather
conditions during these trips. The weather is unpredictable
and storms often prevent boat travel for many days.
Therefore, volunteer travel plans need to remain flexible. We
cannot guarantee that you will arrive or leave on specified days. We
often have many days
with rain, wind, cold and fog. Be prepared for two solid
weeks
of fog!! Yes, it has happened, but it’s one of our
charms.
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Another item to keep
in mind is the fact that we do not have direct access to hospitals.
People with medical conditions that may require immediate treatment
should consider this before applying. Bon Portage Island can
be challenging because of its terrain of cobblestone, with very few
paths, so simple walking can be tiresome and strain weak ankles.
Camp
Life
Life on Bon Portage is somewhat rustic. A small cabin with
six bunks will be home for the duration of your stay. There
is no electricity in the cabin. We use a wood stove for
heat,
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kerosene lanterns for light, and
outhouse facilities for, well, you know
what. The main house on Bon Portage has electricity (most of
the time), running water, propane stove, and a refrigerator.
The facility on Seal Island does not have electricity, or running
water.
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On both islands,
there are automated light houses run by the Coast Guard.
Fresh water is brought from the mainland and is used only for
drinking
and cooking. We collect rainwater for other uses.
A
Typical Day
We start our day approximately ½ hour before
sunrise. A fire is lit, coffee and tea are made and then the
mist nets are opened. We
run the banding operation for 6 hours (depending on the
weather). The nets are checked every 20 to 30 minutes,
depending on the weather and how many birds we are catching.
The census starts 1 hour after sunrise and is 1.5 hours long.
Breakfast, washing up, etc. are done between net runs.
“Fallouts” can often occur throughout the day, so
it is very important to bird during the
morning and after lunch. In the afternoons we do chores and search
for birds. After supper/dinner “estimated
totals” for each
species are tabulated and data are entered into the computer.
The evening ends with reading, relaxing, board games, etc.
As you can see there is a lot
that happens at the ABO. If this sort of lifestyle
appeals to you and you enjoy meeting people from around the world,
living communally, do not mind wind, rain and fog, love birds, nature,
lighthouses, foghorns, the ocean, gulls, and boats,
then please apply to help us out on our research. You will
gain valuable experience, make life-long friends and have a fantastic
experience!
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