The Patagonia Birding & Butterfly Co. takes birdwatchers, singly or in small groups, on guided tours into the outdoors of southern Arizona, to assist them in finding and identifying birds. While doing so, we share our knowledge of their habitats, behaviors, vocalizations, and life-histories. Our tours are customized to your particular needs, experience level, time constraints, and especially the birds you want to see! Children are welcome to accompany their parents and are sometimes given their first experience in bird watching or wildlife appreciation.
Since many birders have also developed an interest in butterflies, we frequently identify those we encounter, and explain, in varying detail depending on interest level, about the wide variety of species present in southern Arizona. In fact, since most birders are avid outdoors people themselves, we share as much information about the identity, relationships, and habitat requirements of the local plants, insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, and mammals, as we can.
Understanding habitats and identifying their residents are of great interest to us, so we enjoy explaining how factors such as weather and climate, topography and geography, longitude and latitude, and proximity to and inclusion in major ecosystems play important roles in determining why a certain species of plant or wildlife would be there in the first place.
Matt Brown: "I am a life-long outdoorsman, having grown up hiking, canoeing, and camping in the Adirondacks of New York State. I have been an avid bird watcher since the age of five. As a teen, I was a Boy Scout camp counselor, instructing groups of scouts in bird and mammal study, environmental science, soil and water conservation, and fish and wildlife management. I have extensive outdoor experience in all but a few states, with particular knowledge of the High Rockies of Colorado, Wyoming, and Montana. Since arriving in Arizona, I have led tours for The Nature Conservancy, Arizona State Parks, Tucson Audubon Society, Elderhostel of Nogales, local birding and butterfly festivals, and the Circle-Z Guest Ranch in Patagonia.
I am also a Program Leader for Road Scholar (roadscholar.org), the international educational group-based tour organization formerly known as Elderhostel. We do two different, week-long birding programs for 9-18 participants, one out of Sierra Vista ("Birding Bonanza"), and the other in Portal ("Birding Cave Creek and the Chiricahua Mountains"). These 5-day Programs run a combined average of 12-14 times between October and mid-June, giving me sixty or seventy days of leading groups of enthusiastic birders of all skill and experience levels around southeast Arizona every fall, winter, and spring."
"As a bird and nature tour provider, I am confident that I provide a safe, enjoyable, and educational outdoor experience to those who accompany me into the wilds of southern Arizona."