Bluebird Habitat Research Records, 1975-2004

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Eltzroth, Elsie K.
Title
Bluebird Habitat Research Records
Dates
1975-2004 (inclusive)
1976-1999 (bulk)
Quantity
1.6 cubic feet, (2 boxes)
Collection Number
MSS Bluebird
Summary
The Bluebird Habitat Research Records document the Bluebird Trail project of the Audubon Society of Corvallis to install and monitor bluebird nesting boxes in Corvallis and the surrounding area in an effort to reestablish local breeding populations. Elsie Eltzroth founded the program and was coordinator until 2008.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Elsie Eltzroth established the Audubon Society of Corvallis Bluebird Trail in 1976 and was coordinator of the project until 2008. Elsie Kollin Eltzroth earned a BS in Zoology from Ohio University in 1947 and a teaching certificate from Central Missouri State University in 1962. Elsie K. and Merlin S. Eltzroth were married in 1943 and moved to Corvallis in 1971.

The Bluebird Trail was established in Corvallis in 1976 as a U.S. Bicentennial project and grew to 173 nesting boxes by 1978; it continues to be an active project of the Audubon Society of Corvallis.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Bluebird Habitat Research Records document the Aububon Society of Corvallis Bluebird Trail project to monitor western bluebirds at nesting boxes placed within 20-25 miles of Corvallis. The bulk of the records consist of forms and field notes completed by volunteer monitors on the activity at specific nesting boxes. The records also include correspondence, notes, statistical summaries, and narrative reports written and compiled by Elsie Eltzroth. The statistics summarize the number of nesting boxes in use per year, nesting pairs observed, returns records, average clutch size, and dead specimens that were found.

About half of the field data document species other than western bluebirds that occupied the nesting boxes, including swallows, wrens, and chickadees.

The records include materials pertaining to the North American Nest Record Card Program, based at Cornell University, including newsletters, correspondence, and copies of nest record cards of the Corvallis project that were submitted by Eltzroth from 1976 to 1997.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Bluebird Habitat Research Records, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Acquisition Information

The materials were donated to the Archives in 2008.

Related Materials

The Merlin S. Eltzroth Papers document Eltzroth's work in documenting sightings of birds that are seen rarely in Oregon. Photographs of bluebirds are available in the Herman T. Bohlman Photograph Collection (P 202) and the William L. Finley Papers. For additional materials documenting wildlife conservation and research, see the Fisheries and Wildlife Department Records (RG 190) and the Spotted Owl Management, Policy, and Research Collection as well as the papers of Roland Eugene Dimick and E.E. Wilson.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Bird watching--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Birds--Conservation--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Western bluebird--Oregon--Corvallis.

Form or Genre Terms

  • Field notes.

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • Audubon Society of Corvallis (Or.) (creator)
    • Cornell University. Laboratory of Ornithology. (creator)