We are looking
for a field assistant or master student to join our fieldwork at Taunton
National Park (Scientific) in the outback of central Queensland. The project is
run by the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna and is focused on the
elaborate courtship displays of the spotted bowerbirds (Ptilonorhynchus maculatus), with a particular focus on the
behaviour of subadult males.
Duration: 2 or 3 months between September and November 2019.
Activities: the candidate is expected to help with data
collection under the supervision of a PhD student. The main activities include:
mist-net catching, color banding and outfitting the bowerbirds with back-pack
mounted GPS loggers; taking blood samples; installing camera traps to videotape
the maintaining and display behaviour of the birds at the bower; retrieving the
data from both camera traps and GPS loggers driving relatively long distances
across the national park. After a training of approximately one month, the
candidate will be required to work on its own on the camera traps and to
collect the GPS data for a duration of 20/25 days.
Costs: the expenses for travel and accommodation are fully
covered by the project; the expenses for food and personal equipment will have
to be covered by the candidate.
Accommodation and field site: the national
park is located 15 km away from the nearest village. The ranger station,
located approximately in the geographical centre of the National Park, is
equipped with kitchen, pre-built rooms with beds and running water. Due to
occasional presence of extra park staff, indoor rooms are not permanently
available and therefore tents need to be conveniently installed.
Requirements: driving license is required in order to drive around
the national park and buy grocery using the utility vehicle of the project; the
ability to adapt to a remote field location with little human contact and
potential dangers (venomous snakes, bushfires); previous long-term experiences
in tropical locations are preferred, as well as bird-handling skills.
In case of
interest, please contact and send a brief CV to: Giovanni Spezie; giovanni.spezie@vetmeduni.ac.at