Project Bluebird - Timmy and Lassie 1963

Wow. It's a cardinal. See Lassie? See? There you go, girl. Lassie, come here. I'll throw you a sweet bite. Lassie. Lassie. Lassie, come here, girl. Now, what do you want to be? A bird watcher or a rabbit chaser, girl? Make up your mind. Congratulations, girl. You probably spotted the first bluebird in Cambridge this year. Wow. I don't know what he's doing. He's flying around that tree. Come on, girl. Let's find out. Easy, girl. Don't scare him. Hi, Bluebird. Sorry, Mrs. Bluebird. All we can do for now is just bury them. >> Timmy, dear. Come on now. You've got to stop brooding about it. Nature's full of such tragedies. >> Mom, those were bluebirds. Bluebirds are sort of special. Like it says in the fairy tales. Bluebirds are supposed to bring happiness. Isn't that true, Mom? >> That's a lovely thought. And bluebirds do make farmers happy, Timmy. And that's no fairy tale. They eat the weevils and other insects that destroy our crops. >> Then what about the so few around anymore? >> Well, you see they're faced with a housing shortage. Unless something is done about it, their whole species might disappear. >> A housing shortage for bluebirds? Do you mean that bluebird that Lassie found might not find another home to live in? >> Probably not the kind that she used to nesting in. You see, Timmy, the nature of the bluebird is to nest in dead trees or in the holes of old-fashioned wooden fence posts. Well, today we're cutting down all the dead trees to make room for new, healthy ones. And we're replacing the old fence posts with sturdier, modern ones. >> It's a pity, but what's good for the farmer will mean extinction for bluebirds. >> Isn't there something we can do for them? >> Well, I don't know. There's the Audubon Society. They probably have the information for you. Why don't you write? You could ask them. >> That's a great idea, Mom. Why didn't I think of that? Don't you think I should have some good stationery for this important letter? >> Absolutely. Here you are. Our motto, a bird in the hand is worth etc. etc. etc. >> Thanks, Mom. Lassie. Lassie. LASSIE. LASSIE. LASSIE, I got it, girl. Look, there is everything. Even instructions on how to build bluebird houses. Come on, girl. WE'LL GET STARTED RIGHT AWAY. Come on, Lassie. There. Pretty good, huh, Lassie? Just like the one on the instruction sheet. Guess we're pretty good carpenters. And with help from the Audubon Society. Let's see. Ventilation space at the top. Drainage hole at the bottom. Cover. Entrance hole. And perch. I guess that does it. Well, now all we have to do is see if any birds move in. You carry the hammer, girl. Lassie, you should know better. That's too low. Snake or lizard could crawl into this. You know how they like to eat birds' eggs. That's more like it. We have to help. Hey, a bluebird family's moving in. >> 12 bird houses up in 2 weeks and not >> And not one vacancy. >> And nine eggs already. Oh, I'd call that a record. >> This is worrying, Mom. Everywhere except for Lassie. I wanted most. All the other bird families have eggs. Except Lassie's mother bluebird. >> Oh, well, now give Lassie bluebird a chance. After all, spring has just begun. >> But her babies died. Maybe she's too sad to try again. >> Well, I don't know. If I remember my bird law correctly, a mother bluebird can lay as many as five clutches of eggs in a season. >> I wish I could explain that to Lassie. >> By the way, where is Lassie? >> At her bluebird >> Yes, of course. >> She inspects it about six times a day. She just won't give up. >> And by the way, >> I better go and check some of the other bird tenants. Bye, Mom. >> Bye-bye, dear. >> Lucky. Lucky, come on, girl. We have chores to do. Come on, Lucky. Time is one. >> Hi there. >> Four. One, two, three, four. >> What in the thunder's going on here? >> See for yourself. You made tough squad, Mr. Watts. Aren't you proud to be a grandfather of quadruplets? >> Grandfather? I'm a bachelor. >> Come on, girl. Where are you, LUCKY? LUCKY, COME ON. >> WHAT ARE YOU SAYING TO SAY? FIRST time guard duty. This looks serious. >> Yeah? Mhm. Yeah, you bet it's serious, Les. What time is the meeting? Right. You want me to pick up the man from the Department of Agriculture at the depot. Okay. Yeah, I'll see you there. >> Well, what is it? >> Well, >> Dad! Dad! There's hundreds of blackbirds on the field, and they're trying TO GET INSIDE THE BIRD NEST. PLEASE, DAD, COME. >> THERE'S nothing I can do, Timmy. Les Sims just called me to say that the whole area has been invaded by flocks of starlings. >> Starlings? >> Yes. The most destructive birds ever created. >> Oh. Well, there's only one thing to do about that. Come here. Take that. And take these. YOU CAN TAKE THESE. NOW, FAINT. >> UH, THIS ISN'T GOING TO WORK, MOM. >> NO, it isn't. >> What do we do, Dad? >> I'll be able to answer that better after the Palm View meeting tonight. >> Well, what are you doing up this early, Timmy? >> Um I don't know. I just wanted a glass of milk. >> Okay, I'll join you as long as you're up. >> What did you decide to do about the starlings? >> Well, Timmy, seems there's only one sure way to drive out the starlings. >> What's that? >> Dynamite. >> Dynamite? >> Mhm. I'm afraid it's the only way. >> But what about the bluebirds? >> Well, I'm sorry about the bluebirds, Timmy, but those starlings are a menace. Did you know that all over the country people have been trying to get rid of starlings with noise makers and bright shiny objects and various other ways, and so far dynamite has been the most successful. >> But but dynamite will break the bluebird eggs and shatter their homes. >> Yeah, I know, son. Sometimes when it's necessary to drive out an evil, something good may have to be sacrificed. It's sad, but it can't be helped. You know, using dynamite is pretty risky, but none of us farmers can afford the even greater risk of losing our crops. I don't understand, Timmy. We have no other choice. You better get Bessie into the barn, Timmy. You better gather up the chickens and get them in there too. I don't want any livestock running around when these go off. >> How many of them are you going to use? >> Oh, about a dozen or so. Farmers decided at the meeting to plant the dynamite all over the coward's area and the blasts will go off at approximately the same time. >> I better get Lassie. >> Yeah, you get Lassie in. Put her right in the house. >> I'll get Bessie for him and round up the chickens. Lassie! Lassie! Lassie! Yes! Yes! Yes! I CAN HEAR LASSIE. LASSIE! LASSIE! >> LASSIE! >> LASSIE! >> LASSIE! >> WHAT? >> LASSIE. TIMMY. LASSIE. >> TIMMY. TIMMY, COME BACK. >> LASSIE. LASSIE. >> LASSIE, COME BACK. >> LASSIE. >> TIMMY. TIMMY, COME BACK. >> LASSIE. >> TIMMY, GET OUT. >> TIMMY. >> HELLO. TIMMY. Are you all right? >> Yeah, I'm okay, Mom. >> Uh-oh. Lassie. What did you do, you girl? We could all been killed. Dad, Dad, what's that moving? Kevin. Wow. >> No wonder the bluebird picked the horn of plenty for her nest. >> I DIDN'T LIKE YOU FOLLOWED her here. After the starling chased the bluebird out of the birdhouse. >> And it was one of George Watson's sticks of dynamite that she was carrying. Oh, Lassie. I wouldn't be surprised if that were the largest clutch of bluebird eggs on record. >> And Lassie made it possible. >> Another another house. >> That's right. Do you know the bluebird population is booming? See? Who knows? You might be a grandfather again. And this time it might be quintuplets. Come on, Mr. Watson. Come on, girls. >> Come on. >> Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. Ooh. Ooh.