Your Guide to Volunteering at RPBO

* Important Information for Prospective Volunteers *

Before you submit a volunteer application, please take a moment to review this essential information of what to expect as an RPBO volunteer.

Already a registered RPBO Volunteer?

Sign in for Shifts on When To Help -->

Thank you for your interest in joining the volunteer team at Rocky Point Bird Observatory!

Rocky Point Bird Observatory is always looking for enthusiastic, self-motivated, committed individuals to augment our team. Whether you are a leader or supporter, introvert or extrovert, night owl or early bird - RPBO may be the place for you!

Our volunteers are the heart of our conservation efforts, contributing their time, skills, and passion to help us do our best to learn more about our local birds, and help guide ways to protect them. We welcome individuals of all backgrounds, skills, and experience levels - students to retirees, nature enthusiasts to tech-savvy individuals, or those just looking to give back in their free time. Your passion and willingness to contribute is greatly appreciated.

RPBO acknowledges the many benefits of volunteerism - to the volunteer, to RPBO, and to conservation at large. RPBO strives for a dynamic and meaningful volunteer program where volunteers, staff and board members work together to successfully carry out our mission and programs.

If you’re ready to make a difference, we’re ready to help you get started!

Before you apply, here’s an overview of what you can expect from us, what we expect from you - and your next steps to getting involved!

What it Means to Volunteer

The Impact of Volunteering

Our volunteers make a meaningful impact with every hour they contribute. Without their support, many essential tasks would go unfinished or extra pressure is placed on others when they have to step away from their own responsibilities. By getting involved, you help strengthen our organization—and gain a rewarding, enriching experience in return.

Value to RPBO

Your involvement helps raise awareness of our cause and our efforts, and encourages other people to participate.
Your efforts expand our capacity to manage every aspect of our programs, ensuring that nothing important gets overlooked, and affords us the comfort to focus on our most critical need at the moment.
The more people who get involved, the farther our outreach extends — engaging more individuals and raising greater awareness.
A diverse volunteer base introduces fresh perspectives and innovative ideas.
Ongoing and committed support helps sustain our initiatives over the long term.

Benefits to the Volunteer

Contribute to something meaningful; give back to your community
build confidence and leadership skills
broaden your horizons - learn new skills
Meet new people, make new friends
Active participation support physical and mental health & well-being
A great way to break routines, stay active, and make a difference!

Traits of a Good Volunteer

We look for people whose personality and approach are a good match for our mission and the way we work - those that support, and have a genuine interest in, the core of our bird monitoring efforts.

Consistency is crucial for the long-term success of our projects, so we value volunteers who can be counted on to fulfill their commitments, show up as scheduled, and complete their tasks responsibly.

We are all on the same team - whether working individually or in a group - and those who are cooperative and communicative make for a positive and productive (and pleasant!) working environment for all.

We appreciate volunteers who are proactive and take initiative. Whether it’s offering ideas, tackling tasks with energy, or going the extra mile, a can-do attitude makes a big difference.

Above all else, a considerate and respectful approach toward all wildlife, the natural environment, and especially each other, is fundamental. We aim to create a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere where everyone feels valued and supported.

Choosing the Right Role for You

Focuses on your skills and strengths.
Fits our lifestyle and schedule.
Suits your passions and interests.

Our work relies on dedicated volunteers who can show commitment to their roles.
Before applying, ensure you are ready to follow through on the time and effort required.
A good fit makes all the difference - for everyone!

Visit us throughout the year at any of our Community Events to meet our team members and see what's involved in joining the Education and Outreach crew.
Talk to our Board members (past or present) to see how leadership opportunities might be an excellent way for you to contribute to RPBO.
Come as a guest to the Banding Station at Pedder Bay to see our committed staff in action; and get a sense of how important it is that our work continue.

Photo of a most happy group of RPBO Board members

Photo of Rosa and Liam standing in front of diagram

Skill Level

Our roles require varying skill sets. Some need previous experience, while others are ideal for beginners and quick to learn. When resources allow, we also provide hands-on training and shadowing.

Commitment

From one-time event helpers to regular, ongoing roles, every volunteer job offers a different commitment level.

Interactiveness

Swivelling around in your office chair, standing a community booth, or running a fundraising event - every volunteer role comes with its own level of interactiveness.

Location

You might think all our volunteers work outside at the banding station, but we actually have many behind-the-scenes roles available year-round!

Volunteer Opportunities

There’s a wide range of volunteer roles at RPBO, that cover a wide range of skills and interests. Each opportunity gives you a sense of what’s involved—how active it is, how much time it takes, if any travel is needed, or if certain skills are required—so you can find something that feels right for you.

The following are brief introductions to some of the positions currently available at RPBO. We are happy to discuss more specifics of a position if you are interested. Please contact volunteer@rpbo.org.

Education & Outreach Team Member

Education & Outreach Team Member

Education & Outreach events and programs are led by RPBO’s Outreach Coordinator, with support from our Development Director. Events are scheduled throughout the year - weekdays, weekends, daytime, or evenings. Locations vary from outside at our public banding station in Metchosin or Outerbridge Park in Saanich, to hosting a booth inside at community events throughout the greater Victoria area. You engage with the public about RPBO’s conservation and education programs. You will be on a call list for all events - choose only those that you can attend. School Programs, Public Outreach, Victoria Bird Week. This role especially suits those with teaching or instructional experience, a love of working with the public, and the willingness to learn from our established team members. There is plenty of room to learn on the job!

Band Recovery Manager:

Are you one of those tech-savvy individuals? Are you interested in a 'behind the scenes' volunteering opportunity?
RPBO is looking for a Band Recovery Manager:

Introduction - A band recovery occurs when a bird banded by an organization is reported to the banding office. These do not include recaptures of birds previously banded by the organization. Examples of band recoveries include (but are not limited to):
● Birds recaptured at other stations
● Birds taken to wildlife rehabilitation centers
● Dead birds (collisions, predation, etc)
● Birds photographed in the field where the observer manages to take pictures of the band.

Duties - The Band Recovery Manager is responsible for maintaining an electronic record of all band recoveries. This data will be used on the RPBO website as well as in research projects.

Decide on a Repository Storage Mechanism - The Band Recovery Manager is free to design the data repository as they see fit. It must meet the following requirements:
● Easy to load new data into
● Detect duplicates (band number, date).1
● Easy to extract data for research queries
● Easy to extract data for the website

Note: The encounter file does not contain an encounter time so it is theoretically possible to have multiple encounters on the same day. For example a "foreign" NSWO could be captured at PEBA early in the evening and then fly on to Rocky Point later the same night. (While this wouldn't be an encounter we'd record in our repository it is meant to illustrate the possibility. Adding the station could help in checking for duplicates.)

Data Source - The banding office sends a list of encounters to the organization's permit holder. This person is responsible for forwarding the list to the Band Recovery Manager. The lists are in two formats, tab delimited CSV files and pdf format. The tab delimited format is the best to use for loading into the RPBO band recovery repository.

Review and Load Existing Files - There are a number of files in RPBO's Google drive. Some of these have already been loaded into a spreadsheet. The Band Recovery Manager will review the files to ensure the data has been captured. It is important to prevent duplication¹.

Load New Files - As new files are forwarded they should be processed into the repository, ensuring there is no duplication¹.

Update Website - After updating the repository a file should be generated and sent to the webmaster in the format they require.

Documentation - The steps to both load data into the repository and to extract it must be documented.

Time Commitment
● Initial setup and documentation: 5-10 hours
● Updates: 1-3 hours/quarter
● Website update: ½ hour/quarter

If this is something that interests you please contact Mike Motek at mikemotek@gmail.com and he can give you more information.

Coordinator - Community Presentations

Coordinator - Community Presentations

RPBO receives many requests from community organizations who want to learn more about birds, their habitats, and their role in our environment. The Rocky Point Bird Observatory Community Presentation initiative exists to offer presentations about birds and bird conservation delivered by knowledgeable speakers. Upon receipt of a grant, RPBO wrote four presentations and a group of volunteers participated in training for the effective delivery of these presentations, and we have begun to build a database of organizations interested in booking. Presentations are available for community groups, schools, clubs, and other organizations throughout Greater Victoria and southern Vancouver Island. The Community Presentations Coordinator will be responsible for the when, where and who of arranging these presentations. Working on your own time, and from your own location, this volunteer opportunity would suit a very organized person, with no reservations about reaching out to others to align schedules.

Scheduler, Volunteer Shifts

Scheduler, Volunteer shifts

We are seeking a dynamic individual to join our team as a Scheduler of Volunteer Shifts. This position plays a critical role in ensuring the smooth operation of our Monitoring Programs and Education & Outreach initiatives. Volunteers sign up for shifts online through the app When To Help. But not all shifts get filled in advance. And that’s where you come in. The Scheduler will contact members of our existing volunteer corps to fill these vacancies. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills and love engaging and speaking with people. Though email is a tool, this role will involve calling people directly, often on short notice, to fill immediate shifts. You are persuasive and firm, yet polite and creative in your approach to get the roles filled. We provide the list of names and contact information - you just do the calling! This role is well suited to those who have flexible spare time, and need/want to work from home. Time commitment would be a few days of training, and callings would be short but frequent and random throughout the banding season.

Host of Be-A-Better-Birder Courses

Be-A-Better-Birder Course Host

RPBO hosts a variety of in-person and in-field presentations led by subject-matter experts throughout the year, supporting our Outreach efforts in bird monitoring, identification, and conservation. This role collaborates with RPBO Development to coordinate these events, ensuring a seamless experience for both presenters and participants. Be present at the venue on the day of the course. Responsibilities include assisting with event setup and takedown, managing course materials, signing in attendees, and providing on-site support to help the event run smoothly.

Presenter - Community Presentations

Presenter - Community Presentations

Are you someone who loves talking to an audience? A salesperson? Someone who likes learning new things? Then this may be the role for you! Learn to become the presenter of various bird-related presentations to community groups, either at a community location, or virtually online. Presentations are ~45 min slideshows, and are already prepared by RPBO. We provide training on how to set up the presentation, techniques on successful presenting, full cover of the subject matter, how to answer FAQs, and general information on RPBO programs and projects. All supplies are provided and scheduling will be handled by RPBO. Time commitment would be several days of training and practice, and presentations are a few hours at a time, 3-5 times a year.

Party Planner

Party Planner

Your primary responsibility is to orchestrate two parties a year - the start-of-season (July) and end-of-season (October) group parties for Volunteers, Banders, Staff, and Board Members. We celebrate the launch of a new monitoring season by welcoming our staff & volunteers, new and returning. And we toast the success of a completed season, and thank everyone who participated for all their hard work. This role can be done independently or shared with a friend. Action Plans from previous parties are available to get you started. Secure a host (someone’s house/backyard), name the date, invite the guests, arrange for food, secure a presenter (usually a Bander) and equipment, help with set up and clean up. These are low-budget, high-fun events that we all look forward to every year!

Time / Commitment:
● Start-of-Season Party ~ last week in July
● End-of-Season Party ~ first week in September
● Planning: two weeks in advance
● Party: 3 hours each

Event Planner - Fundraising Event

Fundraising Event Planner

Christmas Craft Show, Book Sale, Yard Sale - to name three of our annual fundraising events. Each event needs a dedicated leader. The Planner would arrange the who, where, when, and how of the whole event - venue, date & time, event promotion, supplies, sale items - from set up to take down. RPBO has a large corp of volunteers that can be called upon to help out with each event, and previous years Action Plans are available. These Planners report to the Development Director who oversees RPBO’s Fundraising initiatives. These events not only raise funds for RPBO’s migration monitoring, public education and research programs, but also promote camaraderie and interaction with our Volunteers and expand awareness of RPBO in the community. Ideal for those who enjoy a fun and rewarding challenge but prefer a once-a-year commitment.

Bird Handling & Monitoring Roles

Extractor
This specialized volunteer field position takes place at the banding station and involves removing birds from mist nets by hand. This position requires training and experience, study of the North American Banders’ Guide and apprenticeship under an experienced person. This is not an immediate role for new volunteers. Extracting may only be done with the approval of the bander-in-charge or trainer. If you have previous experience in mist-net extractions, you will be asked to provide details about the number of species, the number of birds extracted, and references. You will need to be assessed on your extraction skills by the bander.

Census
RPBO conducts standardized daily census bird counts at both Pedder Bay and Rocky Point stations every morning during the Fall Migration banding
season. Census includes every bird seen and heard along an established
transect. The Pedder Bay census route is a 3km path over light to moderate terrain, takes 75 minutes and starts 1 hour after sunrise. Only those with proven bird identification skills (at least 75% identification success rate on western birds) can participate. The census walk can only be done by one person at a time - no guests permitted.

Bird Banding is done by qualified staff, with eligible banding permits. The integrity of the research process and the safety of the birds is paramount to all our monitoring operations. If you have passerine banding experience, please contact us directly, with references.

Data Scribe & Station Helper

Data Scribe & Station Helper
If you’re new to RPBO and wish to volunteer at one of our monitoring stations, you will start out as a Scribe/Helper at our Pedder Bay banding site during Fall Migration Monitoring (July-Oct mornings) or Nocturnal Owl Monitoring (Sept-Oct evenings).

Being a scribe/helper has you at the banding station, right next to the bander, inputting data into a spreadsheet on a laptop. During this time you can ask questions and observe first-hand how the birds are banded and what information is recorded. You may get some bird handling experience while scribing. Shifts are 7.5 hours starting before sunrise for passerines and 7.5 hours starting after sunset for owls. There are no-split shifts, a full shift commitment is required. The ‘helper’ part of the scribe/helper position involves any tasks directed by the bander and may include checking nets with a qualified extractor (nets are checked every 20 minutes), opening and closing nets before and after each shift, bringing birds in bags back from the net lanes to the banding station etc. No experience is necessary for the scribe/helper position however familiarity with an Excel spreadsheet is very helpful. Typically, volunteers come out as scribe/helpers for their first season before any further training is considered.

Volunteers who commit to at least 10 days per season will, if they wish, be
considered for training on how to handle live birds. However, please be aware that not everyone has the dexterity and sensitivity to safely handle birds. The decision on who may and may not handle bird’s rests with the project’s Bander-in-charge.

Volunteer Applicant Evaluation

Every applicant goes through an evaluation process where we consider background, skills, and motivation; and the needs of the organization at that time. This helps us build a safe, effective team and ensures that volunteers are placed in roles that genuinely match their interests and abilities. It also helps protect our programs and maintain a positive, respectful environment for everyone involved. Once we’ve reviewed your online application, we’ll reach out to talk about next steps.

Sometimes the role you’re initially interested in might not be available or be the best fit. That’s perfectly alright; if you are dedicated to the cause, we are committed to working with you. There are plenty of ways to help out. We can discuss other available roles that may match your skills and interests. Becoming an RPBO Member or making a donation is also a very powerful way to support our research and conservation work - just as impactful as roll-up-the-sleeves volunteer work.

We do encourage becoming an RPBO Member, to ensure you are fully prepared to dive into new opportunities the moment they open up or inspiration hits. Rest assured that your support makes a real and meaningful difference—and we do truly appreciate it.

If you decide to become a volunteer, membership will be required before you can access WhenToHelp and sign up for any Outreach or Banding Station shifts.

Application

We will contact you once we have reviewed your online application.

RPBO Volunteer Application Form