Selling Socks to Save Seabirds

Brothers Will and Matty Gladstone are comitted to conservation.

- By Elizabeth Watson Chaney

Will Gladstone, an amateur birder, was in his 5th-grade science class in Newton, Massachusetts, when he first heard of an eye-catching bird. It’s called the blue-footed booby. The population is declining, he learned. Will decided to raise money to support conservation efforts. As he was brainstorming ideas, his gaze came to rest on his feet, and the idea hit him. Feet, he thought, blue feet! He decided to sell bright blue socks and donate the money to environmental organizations trying to help the birds. His younger brother Matty became his partner. The boys started the Blue Feet Foundation in 2016.

Dance of the Silly Birds

The blue-footed booby is a unique seabird that lives near the Pacific coast, from California all the way to the Galapagos Islands. These goose-sized birds have an impressive wingspan—about five feet (1.5 m) wide. Their distinctive feet are bright enough to send you searching for your sunglasses. During mating season, they like to show off with a unique dance. They lift one blue foot up into the air at a time to give the best possible view. Ornithologists (scientists who study birds) refer to the dance as “foot rocking.” Males whistle as they dance, while females draw attention to themselves by making honking noises. The spectacle transforms them from simply silly looking to laugh-out-loud comical. It’s a sight to behold! The word ‘booby,’ by the way, comes from the Spanish word bobo, meaning “foolish” or “clown.”

Getting the Foundation