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Beaverhill Bird Observatory
Beaverhill Bird Observatory - Hairy Woodpecker Wing

Volunteer

There are many ways that volunteers can contribute to the conservation work, research and education programing we do at the Beaverhill Bird Observatory. Whether it’s being an active board member, assisting us in the field with bird banding or maintenance tasks throughout the natural area, or helping us with our BirdSmart Education Program, volunteers are always able to contribute in some ways.

There are 2 ways to volunteer with the BBO, each has its own application form below.

  1. Short-term volunteering: Short-term volunteers select their own shifts, typically coming out for 1 morning or evening at a time. Shifts are posted through WhenToHelp biweekly during the field season.
  2. Long-term volunteering: Long-term volunteers stay on site at the BBO for 1 week or longer. These volunteers help with all aspects of running the field station. 

Short-term Volunteering

Most short-term volunteers are interested in assisting with bird banding activities during the field season months; May – October. Volunteer tasks generally include assisting the banders by; scribing, data entry, and other miscellaneous projects around the lab. Once you are more familiar with how the station operates—and depending on how busy things are—we will start to get you involved with handling birds, extracting them from the net, and eventually, assisting with banding. Afternoon tasks include trail maintenance, site maintenance, nest searching, and more.

There are training PowerPoints and quizzes to complete before signing up for different roles at the banding station. You can find all these on our Volunteer Training page!

Throughout the year we have WorkBees where volunteers help us with a larger project such as road repairs, large scale building maintenance tasks or mending the mist nets we use to catch birds.

How to Become a Short-term Volunteer - 5 Simple Steps:

  1. Volunteers must become a Life-time Member of the BBO for just $10
  2. Complete the Volunteer Application Form
  3. Review our Site Orientation and Safety Presentation so you know what to expect
  4. Download and complete our Volunteer Liability Waiver
  5. Complete the Volunteer Training PowerPoint and quiz for the "Songbird Scribe" role

Once complete, wait for BBO staff to review your application and then you will receive your invite to our Volunteer Portal - WhenToHelp

Volunteer shifts are published on WhenToHelp biweekly during the field season, mostly during May-June and August-October. Volunteers select their own shifts on a first-come-first served basis.

Long-term Volunteering

Volunteer opportunities are also available for persons looking to stay at the BBO for a week or longer. Long-term volunteers are full time participants in our monitoring programs and events and are an integral part of the BBO. It is not a requirement for long-term volunteers to have extensive banding experience, enthusiasm to learn new skills and to help out is the most important trait for successful volunteers. Please review our Long-term Volunteer Handbook to learn more about expectations for these positions and what they entail.

Please see the steps below to apply. We do require a resume with references for long-term volunteers. If your application is successful, we will contact you to schedule a brief video interview prior to the start of your shift. 

If you have questions about long-term volunteering, please contact our Head Biologist at biologist@beaverhillbirds.com or our Assistant Biologist at assistant.biologist@beaverhillbirds.com

Long-term Volunteering Application Steps

  1. Volunteers must become a Life-time Member of the BBO for just $10
  2. Review our Long-term Volunteer Handbook so you know what to expect
  3. Review the Long-term Volunteer Calendar to see which dates are available
  4. Complete the Long-term Volunteer Application Form
  5. Review our Site Orientation and Safety Presentation so you know what to expect
  6. Download and complete our Volunteer Liability Waiver
  7. Wait for staff to review your application, we will reach out to you to schedule a video interview as soon as we are able!