Field Inclusive Experience Reflection: Killian Yevtyeyev
“This opportunity, aimed towards helping novices like me gain a foothold in the field research field, and allowed me to gain first-hand experience in ornithological field research practices. This fellowship shined a new perspective on how I viewed the field of ornithology, and showed me that my true calling in life was sitting right in front of me; I learned despite the hardships that come with field work, the tribulations, the complications and learning curves, can be taken in stride when you’re confident that this is truly your life’s purpose.”
BY KILLIAN YEVTYEYEV
When you hold aspirations early in life, then proceed to choose a different path of purpose, it is up to you to take accountability and recognize if this chosen path is really the one you’re meant to follow.
At the beginning of this year, I had made a drastic change in my life to actively pursue my childhood dream of ornithology. This leap of faith was initially frightening, but I was not doing it alone. With the aid of my university’s ornithology professor, Doctor Tamaki Yuri, I was awarded an opportunity to collaborate with Cape Fear Bird Observatory (CFBO), Field Inclusive (FI) and Wilson’s Ornithological Society (WOS) in helping research Painted Buntings in Wilmington, North Carolina! This opportunity, aimed towards helping novices like me gain a foothold in the field research field, and allowed me to gain first-hand experience in ornithological field research practices. This fellowship shined a new perspective on how I viewed the field of ornithology, and showed me that my true calling in life was sitting right in front of me; I learned despite the
hardships that come with field work, the tribulations, the complications and learning curves, can be taken in stride when you’re confident that this is truly your life’s purpose.
Upon my arrival to North Carolina, I first began to familiarize myself with working independently to perform point counts in the wilderness, learned how to use a GPS for navigation through the brush, and how to distinguish a Painted Bunting call out from the cacophony of the wilds. When conducting point counts, you must be able to identify your target species by sight and sound, as well as learn to tell the distance of the sightings, and it took a few weeks to be able to reliably ID Painted Buntings from afar! I familiarized myself with our research sites, which ranged from remote dredge islands with no human contact, to the middle of residential areas! In neighborhoods, I learned how to properly answer the public’s questions about our research practices and what we are doing at the moment while maintaining. In more remote locations, like wildlife reserves, I learned how to better plan my expeditions using help from satellite images and GPS, avoiding impassable vegetation or mud. Despite it all, I was eager to learn these new skills, and it broadened my perspective on what adversities field researchers have to overcome to become efficient in their work.
Going out into the wilderness provided its own unique challenges as well. This was my first field research opportunity, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little underprepared in the beginning! Our days in the field started before dawn, and often stretched late into the day; In situations like these, preparation in advance was my most valuable tool. More than once, I had to make changes to my preparation routine, such as making sure to pack extra food and water for the field, and dressing appropriately for the fluctuating temperatures throughout the day. I learned to pack lightly but with necessity, as any weight we brought with us had to be carried on our person for the rest of the day. With the help of Field Inclusive’s guidance to safer practices, I learned how to best prepare for my long days out in the field while planning ahead for any adversities, whether it be soaring temperatures, or being eaten alive by noseeums.
As the summer reached its peak, Painted Buntings retired from breeding and switched to nesting. Subsequently, our data collection priorities shifted from point counts to banding efforts, and our expeditions to the dredge islands of Masonboro became more frequent. As a child, bird banding was one of my main attractions to ornithology, and the aspect of this fellowship that I had been anticipating the most. The real experience of banding and processing Painted Buntings did not pale in comparison. At first, I was watching and learning. The process of extraction of birds out of mist nets is a delicate one. I began by watching my colleagues safely extract the birds and measure them while I scribed the measurements on data sheets. With enough time, I was eventually able to process some birds under supervision. I learned how to properly handle songbirds in the hand with bander’s and photographer’s grip, how to read and interpret federal and color bands on a bird’s leg, and take measurements of anatomy like feather condition and body anatomy. I developed an appreciation for the range of individuals we recorded out in the field, how each Painted Bunting had a unique coloration to their feathers, and how each had its own temperament. I recognize I have a long way to go in my banding techniques and identification practices, especially with utilizing the pyle guide for identifying purposes, but I feel invigorated by the fact that I’ve got so much more to learn!
Throughout my time at Wilmington, one of the most impactful aspects of my fellowship were the people and organizations I connected with. Nonprofit organizations and volunteer programs go largely unnoticed by the public, especially in research efforts, yet most effective conservation work is founded on the volunteer’s good will and efforts, especially on a community level. Evangelyn “Evan” Buckland, my mentor for this season and CFBO’s cofounder, is an amazing example of how nonprofit organizations drive conservation efforts through collaboration with educational facilities (UNCW) and other nonprofits (Field Inclusive). It is thanks to her strict guidance that I was able to learn ethical bird banding practices and data collection techniques, as well as safe navigation out in the field whether on foot or on kayak. Alongside Evan, I had the pleasure of working with Sarah Stevens, another intern under Evan’s tutorship, who helped me acclimate to field work and brightened our days with her knowledge and dedication to field research. When I first began working with them, I was concerned that I would hinder their work or that I would not learn quickly enough. Despite my worries, Evan was a concise and understanding teacher, and Sarah and I learned to work together in the field quickly and efficiently. I felt encouraged to improve everyday alongside them, and the three of us learned to divide and conquer our workloads for maximum efficiency. By the time I had to depart, we were like a well-oiled machine.
Later in the season, I collaborated with Chelsea Bullock, another Painted Bunting researcher, to hold a public bird banding demonstration about Painted Buntings! While I had never been proficient in public speaking or demonstrations, working with Chelsea and having an opportunity to be openly passionate to the public about ornithology significantly improved my relationship with public speaking as a whole! Alongside ornithology, I had opportunities to take glimpses into other environmental conservation efforts, such as helping with turtle walks (nest searching) and aiding with CFBO’s nature walks. It was incredibly inspiring to me to see people my age, older or younger, each have a passion and purpose with their conservation work,
whether it be research or helping their community through programs or education. It is this sense of connectedness and purpose that I felt was lacking in my previous career path, and I feel that this unity is an integral part of why community conservation efforts are as effective as they are.
Working with CFBO and FI this summer will arguably be the most valuable and eye opening experience of my entire career. My view of ornithology and field work up until this year had been based on idealistic assumptions, and finally working in the field this summer helped dispel or reinforce certain views and questions I held about the ornithology field. This fellowship shaped my understanding of how field research is typically performed, what kind of conservation efforts our public communities are doing, and what calling in life I am meant to pursue, all over the span of months of intensive work and learning. I often question: if I never had the courage to pursue my dream, if I had not made that one extremely specific google search that brought this fellowship opportunity into my life, where would I be today? Would I ever be content with my life in biochemistry? My answer to those questions is simply remembering the feeling of fascination I felt while measuring my first Painted Bunting, feeling my hands shake from being focused and delicate with the living creature in my hand; After I releasing the processed bird from my hand, I realizing that I am doing the exact work I deeply idealized as a child. I know from that sensation alone that I will never regret taking this leap of faith to pursue ornithology, and that these experiences with Cape Fear Bird Observatory and Field Inclusive will be the foundation for the rest of my career.
Killian Yevtyeyev (he/they) is an undergraduate biology major at The Ohio State University and was the recipient of the 2024 joint fellowship from Field Inclusive and Cape Fear Bird Observatory.