Elizabeth Dickens was born in 1877, the only child of Lovell and Nancy (Mott) Dickens. She lived on Block Island, RI until her death in 1963. The Dickens family had lived on Block Island for three generations. Because they were farmers, their knowledge of the island’s natural environment and wildlife was a necessity. At an early age, Elizabeth began taking note of birds, both common and those rarely seen on the island. This was the beginning of a life-long commitment to bird study and preserving Block Island’s environment as a natural habitat for native and migratory birds. Block Island continues to be a natural location for recreational and professional ornithologists because of its position in the path of the North American flyway.

In the early 1900s, Elizabeth Dickens began keeping a record of her island bird-sightings; she continued these recordings until her death in 1963. Her bird journals offered valuable information to scientists studying migration patterns. In 1913 Miss Dickens participated in a program to band birds. This process allows scientists to monitor a bird’s migration by noting on the band where the bird was captured, banded and then released. In 1923 Miss Dickens began collecting and preserving birds that had been found dead on the island. Once she had begun mounting birds for preservation and study, people brought dead birds, hoping that their finds would be preserved and added to Miss Dickens "museum." Between 1920 and 1966, Elizabeth Dickens mounted 172 specimens. It is important to note that Miss Dickens would accept no bird that was intentionally harmed. As she became known for her work, people began taking injured birds to Elizabeth Dickens hoping that she could help them. Her dedication to bird study encouraged island residents and visitors, especially children, to take an interest in preserving Block island’s natural environment. The commitment she engendered in young and old alike has continued through the efforts of island citizens, local, regional and national conservation groups.