She collected two holotype specimens, Erythropygia coryphaeus abboti and Serinus albogularis sordahlae, the latter of which was named in her honour.

[1][2] She married Lois Sordahl, who became Field Director for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

[5] Whilst the couple were stationed at the Smithsonian's Brukkaros Solar Observatory in Namibia, Sordahl collected many specimen's for the museum's natural science collections, including the holotype for a species of canary, Serinus albogularis sordahlae.

[6] Sordahl also collected another new species of robin, Erythropygia coryphaeus abboti, which was named after Charles G. Abbot, who was Director of the Smithsonian.

Other birds collected, included a starling, a shrike that "whistles like boys", a bulbul and other desert-dwelling species.