Photo credit: Jeremy Gasowski
This past spring, I was fortunate enough to be accepted to the Hamel Center’s Research 188体育app_188体育在线-平台官网 and Apprenticeship Program, and since then, I’ve been working on a project surrounding the heritability of nest characteristics in saltmarsh sparrows. Saltmarsh sparrows are a vulnerable, endemic species. They nest, breed, migrate, and overwinter in salt marshes along the East Coast, and are under threat from sea level rise. As part of my project, which involves learning lab techniques, datamining and performing analyses of nesting characteristics between mother and daughter pairs, and collecting samples and data in the field, I’ve spent two days a week with an incredible field crew working on saltmarsh sparrow conservation.
Our tasks involve catching, measuring, and banding adult birds, and monitoring nests and banding nestlings. Our days start at sunrise, and our mornings are spent in the marshes along the coast of New Hampshire. I’ve learned some things that I wish I knew before I started—and many that I know you can only grasp firsthand. I hope that sharing them can serve as an encouragement to any other undergraduates looking to participate in field work, and that they can help you land on your feet when jumping in.
- Long sleeves are surprisingly useful. My first training day, I was surrounded by a cloud of bugs that descended if I stopped moving for even a second, and the intensity of the sun after a few hours was practically unbearable. My long sleeves and long pants didn’t help with the heat, but they kept the bugs and the sun off. Bare skin can actually be more of a hindrance than a help, it’s up to an individual field tech’s preferences, but experimenting with layers and different types of field clothing will help you find what works best for you.
- You are capable of so much more than you imagine. My biggest worry going into this summer was that I wouldn’t be strong enough to handle lugging field gear through rough terrain in 90° temperatures. I was certain that I had to massively improve my strength before I could handle this job. In the end, though, I met the physical challenges of the field pretty readily, and the work itself built up my endurance from the first day onward.
- It isn’t strange to ask about using the restroom while you’re out in the field. Some crews have a nearby building, some tell field techs to just step into the woods. Asking about it isn’t embarrassing or weird, even though it’s not something people always think to bring up with people who are new to field work.
- The only way to get experience is to get experience. Everyone enters field work at the lowest level. There is no reason to give up on applying for a field job because you think you aren’t ready. If you acknowledge your lack of experience and willingness to learn from day one, you will find people who have the time, space, and resources to teach you.
- If you’re wearing boots or waders, get socks that won’t fall down. There is no worse feeling than trying to walk across a marsh with your socks falling off in your boots—I found that one out the hard way. Wear long socks that fit you well. Until you know that they’ll stay up, bring a bit of string or rubber band along to fasten them on if push comes to shove.
- Mistakes happen. I panicked when I went to take chicks out of the nest to band them and one ran away because I couldn’t safely get my hands around it. I apologized profusely to my crew lead, feeling certain that I’d made a massive error. “Don’t even worry, pal,” she said. “They’re just like that, sometimes.” Throughout the field season, she’s continued to teach me how to handle mistakes in the field. Sometimes I’ll mess things up due to lack of experience, or, like when catching nestlings, I’ll miss out on data because I’m putting animal and field tech safety first. I’ve fixed what I can. I’ve learned to let the rest go. Slowly, I’ve come to understand that so long as the sparrow and I are safe at the end of the encounter, all’s well that ends well. Don’t worry—it’s just like that, sometimes.
- Freeze a Gatorade or a water bottle before hot days. Having a drink that slowly melts throughout the day and stays relatively cool is incredible. I usually have an insulated water bottle with me that keeps my drinks cold, but for a second drink on a hot day, frozen Gatorade can go a long, long way.
- Knowing and voicing your limits is the mark of a good crew member. As a field tech, I am most effective when I know and follow my own boundaries and those of my crew. I’ve been lucky to have a field crew that reminds and encourages me to advocate for myself. Respecting reasonable limits should be the expectation among field workers. If your crew struggles when you advocate for your basic health and the safety of the animals you’re working with (especially as it relates to your comfort level with certain handling or sampling techniques), that’s a learning experience for them.
- Be ready for nature to throw you a curveball. Field work isn’t for the faint of heart. Vulnerability is a skill and a value, but so is adaptability—especially in a salt marsh. I’ve fallen into deep pools and flooded my waders twice, and we’ve all had our plans upended by the weather or by animals behaving in unexpected ways. Come in ready to roll with the punches.
- This is why we do what we do. I understood, in spirit, that the work I did in the lab before this summer would help in the conservation of a vulnerable species. After my first weeks in the marsh, I knew why searching for and observing nests was technically important. It made logical sense, but the first time it actually meant something was a Tuesday morning in June when I held two saltmarsh sparrow nestlings in my hands. Their eyes weren’t open yet. They were so small. As they huddled together to escape the early morning chill, I understood why I was there.
It was a field season of laughter, tears, mistakes, and victories. It was, simply put, one of the largest experiences of my life—and it was worth more than I’ll ever be able to explain.
Six days later, those two nestlings fledged.
