Advanced Pinyon Jay Field Workshop

Description

Presented by Western Biology

Join Western Biology for an intensive, limited-capacity field workshop designed for professionals seeking experience in Pinyon Jay (PIJA) behavior and ecology. This advanced training is tailored specifically for biologists, environmental consultants, and land managers looking to gain hands-on field experience with the complex breeding behavior and coded language of this fascinating species, which was recently petitioned for USFWS-listing.

Workshop Highlights

• Expert Instruction: Led by Adam Petry, who has independently located and mapped over 50 breeding colonies in the western U.S. and helped inform the Colorado PIJA survey protocols.

• Field Experience: Two consecutive mornings (~ 7:00 AM – 1:00 PM) during the peak spring breeding season (March 15-April 15 only), totaling 10+ hours of observation in occupied breeding habitat.

• Technical Training: Enhance your survey efficiency through a deep dive into Pinyon Jay breeding ecology. This session focuses on identifying and decoding the vocal markers and behavioral cues that indicate breeding colony status, providing you with the technical framework to conduct protocol surveys while ensuring the highest standards of species protection during the breeding season. No nest searching or colony mapping will occur in order to minimize impacts to the species.

• Workshop Purpose: This workshop is not a substitute for formal state or agency-led training regarding survey design, data standards, or protocol implementation. Please consult your state species leads for official project-specific survey requirements, parameters, protocol(s), and/or training opportunities. However, Western Biology’s field sessions provide the intensive field hours necessary to ensure those protocols are executed with the highest degree of accuracy, survey defensibility, and observer confidence. Our professional training mornings provide extended, expert-guided field observations designed to bolster observer reliability, improve survey data quality, and deepen species-specific understanding across any regional project area.

Logistics & Investment

• Location/Dates: Western Colorado. Call to schedule. Date(s) and specific locations customized based on breeding phenology and site access.
• Cost: Varies based on level (excludes food, travel, and lodging).
• Capacity: Strictly limited to the first five registrants to ensure a personalized, high-impact learning environment.
• Requirement: A minimum of one, maximum of five participants is required to hold a session.

Custom Group Trainings

• Level III (Custom Group Training): I come to you for an on-site training for up to 6 participants. Call for a quote. Can possibly be consolidated with a protocol survey to complete one of the required survey visits.

• Dates/Locations: Must occur between March 15-April 15. Call to schedule (dates and location customized based on participant preference).

• Cost: Quote provided based on location and number of mornings.

• Capacity: Limited to six participants to ensure a personalized, high-impact learning environment.

• Requirement: Minimum of 2 participants required for standard regional sessions.

About the Instructor

Adam Petry brings unparalleled field expertise to this workshop. Having independently located and mapped over 50 breeding colonies across CO, UT, NV, and AZ, Adam’s data-driven approach was instrumental in shaping regional survey standards. He has conducted private trainings for NPS, BLM, and USFS, focusing on non-invasive methodologies that advance both species conservation and practical land management.