Larson Bluebird Trails
Western Bluebird. Photo by Mick Thompson.
Al Larson monitored nesting bluebirds in southwest Idaho for nearly 40 years.
A founder of GEAS, Larson maintained hundreds of boxes, creating habitat for many birds. Before retiring from field work in 2020 he banded an astounding 27,000+ bluebirds.
Mountain Bluebird and a nesting box on the Prairie Bluebird Trail. Photo by Dondi Black.
Al maintained six bluebird trails in and around southwestern Idaho. The boxes on these trails have been used by Mountain Bluebirds, Western Bluebirds, House Wrens, Mountain Chickadees, Tree Swallows, and more. Not only have these boxes created habitat for many species, they have also served as a favorite pastime for many GEAS members as Al has shared his passion and knowledge with the many volunteers who joined him in the field.
In an effort to preserve his nearly 40 years worth of hand-written data, GEAS, the Peregrine Fund, and BSU students have been working to digitize this incredible dataset so it can be analyzed.
GEAS is committed to keeping the Hilda Larson Prairie Bluebird Trail going. It is our hope that this project will also create the opportunity for student training and future field research.
It is truly incredible the amount of time and passion that Al put into this project - thank you, Al, for your passion and commitment!
A big thank you to Julie and Boyd Steele and the local Wild Birds Unlimited store for collecting and donating new bluebird boxes to replace boxes burned on the Prairie Bluebird Trail during a fire in 2013. Boyd and a dedicated team of volunteers now coordinate the bluebird trail monitoring.