An Oshkosh man, 90, was honored for 30 years of helping bluebirds
Len Place received a lifetime award from the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin for decades of building nest boxes and tending trails.
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Len Place of Oshkosh received a lifetime achievement award from the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin, WBAY reported on October 20, 2026. For more than 30 years of his retirement he built nest boxes, walked bluebird trails, and checked on the birds using them. A friend and mentor got him started. He told the station it never felt like work.
The memory he kept was a bird that stayed on the nest. Before he closed the box he wondered if she would let him touch her. He petted her three times, and she did not leave. Place said the award is welcome and that what he actually cares about is keeping bluebirds in the state. At 90 he has stepped off the trails and left that walking to other people. He plans to watch birds in his own yard and to spend more time writing.
For the classroom
Len Place of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, spent more than 30 years of his retirement building nest boxes and checking bluebird trails. Bluebirds use those boxes because old trees with holes are harder to find. The Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin gave him a lifetime award for the work. Place said the award is nice, but he cares more about keeping bluebirds around. He got started through a friend who taught him. One day a bluebird stayed on her nest while he gently touched her. He is 90 now and has stopped walking the trails. He still watches birds from his yard and spends time writing.
- Why do bluebirds need a box that people build?
- What would you have to do to take care of a trail of nest boxes all spring?
- Why might Place say the birds matter more than the award?
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