Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk Field Intern

The Peregrine Fund is seeking one field biologist and one volunteer intern field assistant to conduct searches and research on the endangered Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk (Accipiter striatus venator) in the central mountains of Puerto Rico. The Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawk is one of the most threaten birds in Puerto Rico, and its population has drastically declined. The goal of this project is to monitor known pairs, search for new territorial and nesting pairs and to determine productivity.

The field season will run from mid-January or early February to early/mid-July depending on when the breeding season finishes. Early in the breeding season, work will require driving mountain roads, hiking in rainforests, searching from vantage points or lookouts over the forested habitat, and using coordinates provided from another team to search for territorial pairs.

The candidates should be in good physical condition as daily work will involve hiking in rugged undulating terrain to locate nesting pairs and conducted nest observations. The applicants have to be comfortable working long hours in humid and wet weather. Applicants should be self-motivated and able to work both alone and as part of a team. Some intermediate/advanced Spanish is desirable and beneficial but not required, but experience trapping and banding raptors and accessing nests is essential. Above all, a positive attitude and desire to work and learn are qualities expected of candidates.

The field team will be in constant communication with a survey team from Mississippi State University who are searching for presence of Puerto Rican Sharp-shinned Hawks and Broad-winged Hawks (Buteo platypterus brunnescens) in areas outside of public forests.

Salary: A stipend is provided for the field biologist at $1,000 per month. A per diem of $400 per month for the intern field assistant will be provided. Travel support or a portion to and from Puerto Rico may be provided depending on cost.

Qualifications: Previous field experience with raptors: as it is important to be familiar with raptor behavior, field identification, trapping, banding, and tree climbing. Field personnel will need to know how to navigate with topography maps and hand-held GPS units. A valid driver’s license is required.

To apply: Submit electronically by January 15, 2016 1) resume/cv (two pages maximum) with three references and 2) one page cover letter highlighting field experience.

Contact: Russell Thorstrom: RThorstrom@Peregrinefund.org