The Birdman Has Built Homes for Over 40,000 Bluebirds Video

He just might be the biggest bluebird landlord in Idaho. Al Larson has built and placed more than 350 wooden nest boxes throughout the state’s southwest. The birdwatcher started the project in the late 1970s after reading how important the shelters are to the survival of bluebirds. Today, at the age of 97, he is still at it. Larson monitors the little houses to record vital data about the number of eggs and nestlings. To date, Larson has helped fledge over 40,000 bluebirds.

Video Script:: 

(baby birds chirping) (gentle string music) - I am attracted to the bluebirds
because of their beauty. My name is Al Larson. I am 97 years old-or young. These bluebirds are about 11 days old. I've helped over 40,000 nestlings. (string music) Every living thing has just
as much right to live as I do. (birds chirping) I'm a birdwatcher by choice, I guess. When I retired in the late '70s, that's 1970's, I came upon this article in National Geographic
and I became aware of the plight of the
bluebird. Their population has been declining, and
the importance of the nest box to the survival of
the bluebirds, and I thought, well, why don't I try that here? So one of the first nest boxes I set up a bluebird moved into it and
immediately, hey, success. I should put up more boxes. Oh, this is a second nest. You can see different
material built on top there. Well, I'll go on to the next box now. See what's going on there. (flowing piano music) These nest boxes that I use
are ones that I built at home. I came up with a solution of building the box as simply as possible. Cheap to build, with just four
sides, a bottom, and a roof. Anybody could build it, even kids. Over the years I have added
more than 350 nest boxes out. My bluebird trails cover quite
an area in southwest Idaho. Actually, I've got a trail in each of five different counties. I monitor the boxes
regularly to record the data of what goes on with the development of the nesting cycle of the bluebirds. I've shared my data with
Boise State University, the Banding Laboratory
at Patuxent, Maryland, and anybody else who requested. ♪ Pretty little bluebird ♪ ♪ where do you go ♪ ♪ Come back, come back to me ♪ ♪ I'm going says the
bird as he flew on high ♪ ♪ To see if my color matches the sky ♪ I'm gratified to know that I've helped the bluebirds
increase their population. I'm gratified to know that
through the work I've done I've inspired many, many
other people to help not only bluebirds, but
other creatures as well. So maybe I've been put here
to help our environment. My message is, you've got to be active if you're going to get old. Don't crawl into a cocoon because you might not break out of it. So think about the future,
and what you can do tomorrow. Plan ahead. (birds chirping) (musical tone)