Debating the nature of field work in ecology

[BrdNerd]

I have 2 offers with very different field work: One of them involves really intense months of hiking, nest and bird identification, mist netting, and tracking. It sounds amazing, but I’ve never been backwoods camping for example, and have limited field experience. I wondered if anyone else had deep dived into this sort of intense fieldwork and what feedback you could share?

The other involves fieldwork but is much more computational. In fact, if I didn’t want to do fieldwork they’d be fine with it (I do!). I’ll really have to push to incorporate more theoretical analysis into the first option.

The other things to consider are pretty equal between the two: great funding (relative to cost of living where they are), amazing supportive advisors (I’ll feel rotten telling either I’m not coming), good group of grad students in the lab, great programs. The first one is closer to my partner, so clear bonus, but I’m worried about getting there and discovering I’m not cut out for it. >_<