The field notes consist of bound notebooks, and their 13-reel microfilm copy, of observations made about birds and mammals found in various locations in California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Latin America, and a few in Michigan, New Brunswick and Newfoundland. Some additional notes, carbons, typescripts, drawings, and a very few photographs and maps were also contributed by Dickey and others. The notebook entries (with time range of coverage) were made by: Donald R. Dickey (1909-29), A.J. van Rossem (1911-48), W.H. Burt (1928-31), H.H. Sheldon (1928-30), R.A. Stirton (1925-26), G.A. Stirton (1925) and L.M. Huey (1915-33). Van Rossem's notes are mostly related to the work published in 1938 under his and Dickey's names, "The Birds of El Salvador".

DONALD RYDER DICKEY (March 31, 1887-April 15, 1932) was an adventurous wildlife photographer as well as an ornithologist and mammalogist. He was well known in his time for: his photographs (both still and moving) of birds and mammals; for his lectures on wildlife; and eventually for his substantial specimen collection of birds and mammals. He was drawn to outdoor life in his childhood and youth, but considered this nothing more than a hobby. During his senior year at Yale, having already achieved election to Phi Beta Kappa, he experienced a serious heart collapse and was sentenced to immediate and complete bed rest. Allowed to graduate with his class because of his high academic standing, he returned after graduation to his parents' home in Pasadena for two years of inactivity. After about a year he began to visit a friend's ranch in the Ojai Valley and there, from his steamer chair, he began to observe, and after a time to photograph, local birds and their nests.

6 linear feet ( 4 document boxes)

Property rights in the physical objects belong to the UCLA Biomedical Library. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish if the Biomedical Library does not hold the copyright.

The collection is open for research. Contact the History and Special Collections Division, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA, for information.