~Volunteer with bird researchers in the Peruvian Amazon. This position provides a rare opportunity to work alongside and learn from expert tropical biologists, conservationists, and park-rangers by closely assisting them with monitoring Neotropical bird populations at multiple locations across the 85,300.54 km2 Madre de Dios (Mother of God) Region – a fascinating, dynamic, and wildlife-rich region of the Peruvian Amazon. Based out of the jungle city of Puerto Maldonado, Fauna Forever-Tambopata Volunteers live and work with wildlife monitoring teams on our flagship research and conservation initiative, the Fauna Forever Tambopata (FFT) project. Join us today. Become a Fauna Forever Tambopata volunteer and help us to understand and conserve this unique Amazon wilderness area.

The FFT bird team undertakes a combination of early morning point-count censuses of understory birds along pre-established trails, as well as mist-net capture, banding/ringing of birds, and recording incidental encounters with any of the 645 birds species that call Tambopata home.

Bird Team Highlights:

• Each day help carry and set up mist nets along trail systems and transects from 5:00 am, monitor the nets, and carefully process the birds caught before subsequent release
• Walk an average of 5 km of trails and transects on alternate days to observe and record birds, and take data of all sightings (Point Counts)
• Machete use – Maintain existing transects and trails and on occasion cut new ones
• Assist in the careful handling of birds in order to identify, ‘process’ (check molt limits, age, weight, measurements, health, sex, etc.) and photograph them before release
• Enter data of the research into a computer and help analyse that data

Already have experience with bird research/monitoring? Need to do a thesis or personalised research project? No problem. Fauna Forever can provide you with bird research project ideas or even help support you with logistics, permits and mentoring for your own idea. For more information, please contact us.

*What the fee includes

• Accomodation for 13, 20 or 42 nights respectively
• Three substantial and healthy meals for 14, 21 or 43 days respectively
• Clean drinking water at all times throughout the phase
• Airport transfers on arrival and departure at Puerto Maldonado (PEM) airport
• Boat transport between town and research sites
• Training: Health & Safety in the rainforest; scientific monitoring and research techniques in one or more of the project’s taxonomic groups; species identification; impacts affecting the rainforest in Tambopata, and possible solutions; orientation (compass, GPS and map use); machete use; and much more.

What the fee does not include

• Travel insurance (this is essential)
• Flights
• Spending money for snacks, sodas, alcaholic beverages and souvenirs