Anna Connington
Picture Description: Anna holding an adult male Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni, Spanish: Busardo chapulinero), both her favorite bird and her spark bird.
*bird handled under proper federal and local permits with appropriate training
About
Anna is a a mixed media, wildlife, and science illustrator. Beginning during her undergraduate degree, she has enjoyed volunteering and working with wildlife through songbird banding, nest monitoring, and more. Her passion for wildlife drives much of her creative process and has empowered her to focus on art as a tool for public education and outreach,
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She has completed a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biology (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Emphasis) at Boise State University. Currently, she is a candidate for a Masters in Science of Raptor Biology at Boise State University studying the relationship between birds and wind energy facilities in southern Spain.
Learn more about me in my CV below.
Experience
JAN 2023 - JAN 2025
Lab Technician
USGS Forest Rangeland and Ecosystem Science Center
Boise, Idaho, USA
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Mentored new lab technicians and trained them in specific lab protocol and practices
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Tissue and bone sampling on > 800 bird & bat carcasses of > 100 species
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Experience working in BSL2 setting
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Identified thousands of carcasses to species, ages, and sexes
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Collected and managed large datasets in Excel and Access
JUL - OCT 2023 and 2025
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Collaborated with Spanish organization, Fundacion Migres, to collect migratory count and banding data
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Performed carcass detection bias trials
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Trained peers in animal handling both in English and Spanish
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Banded, aged, and sexed native songbirds/raptors and handled over 200 Black Kites for standardized reference photographs
AUG - DEC 2021
Peregrine Fund Intern
Peregrine Fund's Global Raptor Impact Network
Boise, Idaho, USA
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Performed meticulous and repetitive tasks to collect data and species counts from camera trap footage
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Identified a variety of southwestern avian and mammalian species from sometimes poor-quality photographs
Education
AUG 2024 - PRESENT
Master of Science
Raptor Biology
Boise State University
Briefly describe your degree and any other highlights about your studies you want to share. Be sure to include relevant skills you gained, accomplishments you achieved or milestones you reached during your education.
AUG 2020 - DEC 2023
Bachelor of Science
Biology (Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Emphasis)
Boise State University
Briefly describe your degree and any other highlights about your studies you want to share. Be sure to include relevant skills you gained, accomplishments you achieved or milestones you reached during your education.