A 96-Year-Old Man known as "The Blue-Bird Man"

A 96-Year-Old Man known as "The Blue-Bird Man"

Have you ever wondered how a hobby can turn into passion?

This was what happened to a 94-year-old,  a self-taught conservationist who has committed the last four decades of his life-saving North America's bluebirds. His name is Alfred Larson. 

Al started building nest boxes on his Idaho ranch

In 1978, Alfred was looking for a hobby that would keep him busy after his retirement. He read an article in National Geographic about crafting wooden nests for bluebirds.  The bluebirds population is declining, and in order to save them, Al started building nest boxes on his Idaho ranch. After a few years, he almost created 350 nest boxes on six different bluebird trails across Southwest Idaho.

Alfred banded over 900 birds

According to Alfred, he got carried away when he settled on a simple design that [was] easy to build and easy to monitor. He also said that he kept adding more boxes on those trails, and to his amazement, the bluebirds responded.

Would you believe that this year, Alfred banded over 900 birds! Amazing, isn't it?

“Bluebird Man” documentary

A filmmaker named Matthew Podolsky introduced Alfred Larson through staff at Boise State University. He even made a 30-minute documentary entitled "Bluebird Man".

Help save Bluebirds

Matthew Podolsky said that Alfred is a living example of how much one person can achieve when they set their mind on a certain task.  He also said that bluebirds gave meaning to the old man's life, and are truly the secret to his longevity.

Thank you, Alfred Larson, for helping to save the Bluebirds!

“A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.”

- Amelia Earhart