The records of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology date from 1884 to 1966 and are arranged in eleven series: an Organizational File, Secretary's Notebooks, President's Files, General Correspondence, Committee Files, Membership and Meetings, Passenger Pigeon Magazine, Wyalusing Passenger Pigeon Monument, Other Bird Clubs, Bird Field Notes, and Photographs.
The ORGANIZATIONAL FILE consists of the Articles of Incorporation, April 8, 1942. Also included are revisions to the by-laws and constitution, 1949, 1958, and 1963.
The SECRETARY'S NOTEBOOKS contain the records of the annual conventions, minutes of meetings, and other official reports. They are arranged in chronological order from 1942 to 1955.
The PRESIDENT'S FILES document the official duties of this office. The records are arranged chronologically from 1941 to 1959.
The GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE files relate to routine administrative functions. They are arranged chronologically from 1949 to 1957.
The COMMITTEE FILES are arranged alphabetically by committee and chronologically thereunder. Although most are one- or two-year accumulations, the Conservation Committee's activities are extensively covered for the periods 1950-1951, 1953-1954, and 1962-1966.
The MEMBERSHIP AND MEETINGS series consists of annual meeting programs, 1939-1964; clippings on activities, 1953-1956; membership lists, 1940-1951; and a bound register of attendance for the 1941 Racine and 1942 Green Bay meetings. Related Membership Activities include field trip notices, activity questionnaires, and application forms.
The PASSENGER PIGEON MAGAZINE records document most completely the first year of publication, 1939. The records include correspondence of its editor Walter Scott, and his notes for the magazine's 1939 issues. Three issues of the Passenger Pigeon are filed here, Vol. I, no. 1 (January 1939), Vol. XI, no. 1 (January 1949), and Vol. XI, no. 4 (October 1949). The complete volumes may be found in the Wisconsin Historical Society Library. A list of reporters and a range and population study sheet comprise the Miscellaneous Materials file.
The WYALUSING PASSENGER PIGEON MONUMENT file documents the construction of the Wisconsin Society for Ornithology-sponsored monument to the passenger pigeon on Sentinel Ridge at Wyalusing State Park. The records consist of correspondence, drawings, and reports, arranged chronologically from 1941 to 1947.
The OTHER BIRD CLUBS file contains announcements of both national and local bird groups. Such organizations as the Wilson Ornithological Club, the Green Bay Bird Club, and the Milwaukee Bird Club are represented.
The BIRD FIELD NOTES series includes six boxes of bird sightings and migration information gathered by several Wisconsin ornithologists and arranged alphabetically by their surnames. The S. Paul Jones bird field notes, 1916-1958, include field notes sent him by other ornithologists and extensively cover all of Wisconsin, while the notebooks of his own observations concentrate almost exclusively on Waukesha County. An explanatory letter from Thomas K. Soulen explains the abbreviations Jones used within these volumes. The letters and bird notes of I.N. Mitchell deal with Milwaukee sightings for 1908-1909. The notes of N.R. Peabody detail bird sightings in Hammond, Wisconsin for 1948. Reverend Samuel Robbins and Norval Barger collected bird note correspondence, 1946-1953, from across Wisconsin while they served as editors of the Passenger Pigeon. The notebook of Charles B. Rogers records birds of Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin for 1884-1885. William E. Snyder similarly documented the birds of Dodge County in his six volumes of field notes. These are arranged chronologically from 1888 to 1937.
PHOTOGRAPHS include images of organization members and several types of birds.
