How a Small Home in Arizona Became a Global Birding Destination

Once somebody's backyard, Tucson 探花精选's Paton Center for Hummingbirds attracts thousands of birders every year.

For birders searching for an abundance of species, large expanses of nature with a variety of habitats are often the best bet鈥攂ut there are some extraordinary exceptions. The is one of them. On this 1.4-acre property outside Patagonia, Arizona, visitors have recorded more than 200 bird species, including the dazzling Violet-crowned Hummingbird, within the center鈥檚 diverse, native landscape.

"Hummingbirds are so abundant they're flying up your nose," says Jonathan Lutz, executive director of Tucson 探花精选 and former director of the Paton Center.

The center鈥檚 modest origins date back to the mid-20th century, when Marion and Wally Paton moved into a cement block home in the small desert town of Patagonia, which today has a population of 900 residents. Bird lovers themselves, they put out feeders around their house, which became magnets for resident and migratory birds. There were sapsuckers and tanagers, redstarts and jays鈥攁nd, of course, the main attraction: the Violet-crowned Hummingbird, an uncommon resident in the U.S. Birderwatchers in the area started to notice. 鈥淭here were people lining up on the street and looking through the fence,鈥 says Linda Stitt, a former friend of Marion鈥檚 who now volunteers at the center.

In other parts of the country, it might have been perceived as an invasion of privacy鈥攂ut not in Patagonia. "There鈥檚 this culture of birding hospitality in southeastern Arizona," Lutz says. And so instead of shewing the onlookers away, the Patons erected a sign, which read 鈥渂irdwatchers are welcome,鈥 and opened their yard to the public. It was inviting: They set out benches, field guides, and a chalkboard where visitors could record their sightings. Sometimes, Marion would even bring out cookies, Linda says. Before long, the Paton鈥檚 home became an international birding destination. 

Though Wally died in 2001, and Marion in 2009, their residence, now in the hands of Tucson 探花精选 as the Paton Center for Hummingbirds,  remains a wildly popular birdwatching hotspot. In 2017 alone, the center welcomed 14,000 visitors from 20 countries and all 50 states. 鈥淪ince Tucson 探花精选 took over ownership and management of the property in 2014, it鈥檚 worked to really maximize every square foot for the benefit of birds, butterflies, pollinating insects, and, of course, human visitors,鈥 Lutz says. 鈥淚鈥檝e tried to be cognizant everyday of the legacy set forth.鈥

Earlier this month, the center鈥檚 staff and volunteers completed a wheelchair-accessible backyard viewing pavilion. They鈥檝e also replaced invasive plants with native hummingbird favorites, like cardinal flower and sage; supplanted a livestock pasture with a wildlife-friendly meadow; and built a trail that connects the center to an adjacent nature reserve in the last few years.

All the hard work is paying off. 鈥淚t is wildly full of hummingbirds鈥擨 probably saw 75 or more,鈥 says Liz Fuller, a natural science illustrator who visited the center in 2017. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 believe how much is going on there in such a tiny area.鈥

According to eBird, 224 bird species have been recorded at the center to date鈥攎ore than the total number of species seen in the state's 150,000-acre Petrified Forest National Park. And this year alone, 探花精选 has already recorded 130 species, including the Violet-crowned Hummingbird, which draws scores of birders looking to check the charismatic species off their list. 鈥淭his is about the only reliable location in the U.S. to see the Violet-crowned Hummingbird,鈥 one visitor wrote on the center鈥檚 .

There are up to 12 different hummingbird species that visit the center throughout the year, Lutz says, and then there鈥檚 a wide variety of other popular birds, from Patagonia residents like the Curve-billed Thrasher and Gambel's Quail to migrants like the bright Yellow Warbler.

What鈥檚 the secret? Native plants, Lutz says, along with proximity to the nearby reserve, managed by the Nature Conservancy. According to Lutz, the Paton property demonstrates the efficacy of native landscaping on a residential scale; in fact, he uses the center as a model for Tucson 探花精选鈥檚  program. 

For birders chasing diversity, now is the best time to visit, Lutz says. For those after abundance鈥攅specially of hummingbirds鈥攍ate summer is better, when you can see clouds of the petite birds zipping by. And if you can't manage a visit, you can check out Paton鈥檚 live hummingbird and , which stream video to the internet around the clock. It's not the same as visiting this birding hotspot, but at least you get to experience some of the magic. 

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探花精选 is a nonprofit dedicated to saving birds and the places they need.