Interesting about this job
Natuurmonumenten owns over 25 hectares of natural fields in the Norger Esdorpen landscape. Some of these are managed as winter forage fields. These fields are not harvested but are left standing over the winter. Birds such as the yellowhammer, goldfinch, and finch use these fields to forage and survive the winter. Natuurmonumenten would like to gain a better understanding of how these fields function. Therefore, we are looking for an enthusiastic birdwatcher to count the birds present in the fields six times during the winter months.
Job tasks and duties
From October to March, all fields containing winter food are visited once a month and the birds present are counted. The count takes place during the day. A count form is used for each field to record which species and their numbers were found.
Job skills and qualities
We are looking for someone to volunteer with Natuurmonumenten and independently visit the fields to count the birds present. Being able to identify the most important bird species is essential for conducting the counts effectively. This primarily involves familiarity with the winter plumages of finches and buntings. A difference from breeding bird monitoring is that song-based identification is not performed. Identification based on contact calls is possible, but note that popular apps like Merlin are often not yet able to identify species based on these calls. Furthermore, birds often forage in groups, making visual observations important for accurately estimating their numbers.
Furthermore, we are looking for someone who is, in principle, willing to conduct counts throughout the winter using the requested method. Reporting individual observations or a limited number of visits does not provide sufficient information for a proper management evaluation. A count is expected to take approximately 5 to 6 hours. After the winter season, we want to evaluate the counts together and see if and how we can continue the winter bird counts together.
Extra information
As a volunteer, you'll visit interesting and beautiful nature reserves with the chance to encounter fascinating bird species. A Natuurmonumenten vehicle is available for this work, upon request. This vehicle can be picked up from the Natuurmonumenten regional office in Paterswolde or from the depot at Donderboerkamp (near the Noordsche Veld nature reserve).
As a volunteer, you'll also have access to the "Learn Your Green" e-learning platform, our intranet, and can participate in interesting Green Lectures organized by the Natuurmonumenten Academy.
Information:
For more information about the work involved, please contact the ecologist at the management unit, Warner Reinink: w.reinink@natuurmonumenten.nl or +31 6 1387 3425.
If you would like to learn more about volunteering with Natuurmonumenten in general, please contact the volunteer coordinator at our management unit, Helga Buist: h.buist@natuurmonumenten.nl or +31 6 1392 5618.
Job information
| Job type | Volunteer Work |
|---|---|
| Services | accident insurance, volunteer contract, travel expenses |
| Duration | short job |
| Work hours of your own choosing? | No |
| Location | Food fields Norger Esdorpenland Landscape |
Organisation address and information
Natuurmonumenten
Hoofdweg 251 B
9765 CH Paterswolde
Website: http://www.natuurmonumenten.nl