For years, Al Larson has been celebrated as "the Bluebird Man," an Idaho conservation enthusiast who spent decades working to preserve the state bird. But on March 26, Larson's family and friends gathered to celebrate him for a different reason — his 100th birthday.
The centenarian milestone comes roughly 50 years after Larson began the efforts that would earn him his avian-inspired nickname. Around the time he retired, Larson began building bluebird nest boxes and collecting decades of data on the birds. Since then, he's been the subject of an Emmy-nominated documentary and had a legacy fund named after him at the local chapter of the Audubon Society.
"Helping the bluebirds was sort of a side project," Larson told the Idaho Statesman. "(Then it) turned into a hobby, and I didn't worry about the time I spent out there."
