Hire an expert SE Arizona Birding Guide

Richard Fray, Birding Guide in SE Arizona

Based an hour to the south of Tucson in Rio Rico in Santa Cruz County, I offer birding guide services anywhere in southeast Arizona. You can hire me for a half day (Rio Rico area only), full day, or multiple days at a time.

• Please check my calendar for availability.

• See my prices page for fees, terms and lots of additional info.

• Please contact me with any questions or to make a booking.

• More about Fun Birding Tours • More About Richard • Testimonials

If you hire me as your birding guide, you get to set the pace and tone, and I’ll advise you on getting the best from your day. Each day will be customized just for you, whether you want to bird from before dawn till after dark, or you want a late start, a long lunch and a siesta. I cater to birders who want to hike miles, and to birders who can’t get far from the car. I’m entirely flexible – it’s your day, and I want to help you make it as comfortable, enjoyable and productive as possible.

If you’re interested in a multiple day or longer visit, but would rather leave all the hassle of organizing transport, hotels, meals, etc. to someone else, please consider one of my Fun Birding Tours in southeast Arizona, or contact me to discuss a custom Arizona birding tour.

Is it for me?
As a professional bird watching guide in southeastern Arizona, I aim to be the right choice for ALL birders, and make your day memorable, whoever you are:

Complete beginners
Intermediate birders
Expert birders
Local birders
Out-of-state birders
Overseas birders
Wildlife photographers
Individuals
Couples
Small groups
Large groups

I aim to make your day productive as well as fun, whatever you want to do. Perfect for birders who want to:

See a specific species, eg: Elegant Trogon
See a list of target species, time permitting
Have a great day of birding in general, with no specific goals
Combine birding with beautiful backdrops and hikes
Improve your birding skills in a particular habitat, eg: desert, grassland
Improve your ID prowess with certain bird groups, eg: sparrows, shorebirds
Experience SE Arizona’s great birding spectacles, eg: summer hummingbirds, winter cranes, raptors
Explore new birding sites in Southeast Arizona
Combine birding with other wildlife interests, eg: butterflies, dragonflies, reptiles, mammals
Undertake specific wildlife photography projects or enjoy casual birding with cameras

What could we see?

Birding in Arizona can be quite complicated, knowing what to expect in which seasons and where. I’ve compiled info on Arizona’s 100 most wanted birds to help you see what species are here at which times of the year, and where we might go to find them.

For a more detailed overview, my free, ready-to-print checklists of birds in SE Arizona by month will tell you precisely what to expect, and when.

Where can we go?

We can visit any of SE Arizona’s famous birding locations.

Here in Santa Cruz County:

Santa Rita Mtns: Madera Canyon (Santa Rita Lodge, Madera Kubo Cabins, Chuparosa Inn, Carrie Nation Trail), Montosa Canyon
Patagonia: Patagonia Lake, Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, Paton Center, Patagonia Roadside Rest, Patagonia Mountains, Sonoita, San Rafael Valley
I-19 corridor: Tubac, Tumacacori, Rio Rico, Nogales, Rock Corral Canyon, Kino Springs, De Anza Trail
Atascosa Highlands / Pajarito Wilderness: Sycamore Canyon, California Gulch, Walker Canyon, Peña Blanca Canyon & Lake, Ruby
Ruby Lakes, near California Gulch, Santa Cruz County

In Pima County:

Santa Catalina Mtns: Mt. Lemmon, Summerhaven, Bear Canyon, Incinerator Ridge, Molino Basin, Marshall Gulch
Tucson: Sweetwater Wetlands, Saguaro National Park (East & West), Catalina State Park, Agua Caliente Park, Reid Park, Desert Museum, Avra Valley
Santa Rita Mountains: Florida Canyon, Box Canyon, lower Madera Canyon (Proctor Rd)
Arivaca Lake & Cienega, Buenos Aires
Lakeside Park, Tucson, Pima County

In Pinal County:

Pinal Air Park, Red Rock, Santa Cruz Flats
Santa Cruz Flats, Pinal County

And in Cochise County:

Huachuca Mtns *: Ash Canyon B&B, Ramsey Canyon, Carr Canyon, Hunter Canyon, Huachuca Canyon, Garden Canyon
San Pedro River: San Pedro House, Kingfisher Pond, St. David, Benson WTP
Sulphur Springs Valley: Whitewater Draw, Willcox Twin Lakes, Elfrida, Kansas Settlement, Cochise Stronghold
Chiricahua Mtns (distant) **: Cave Creek, Portal, Paradise, Barfoot Park, Chiricahua National Monument

** While I enjoy guiding in the Portal area and the Chiricahua Mountains, it’s so far from where I live that it’s not really practical. It’s a seven-hour round trip for me and an early start is unrealistic in terms of me having to leave home three-and-a-half hours before we meet. In almost all circumstances, you’ll be better off seeking a guide in that area, rather than having to pay me to drive halfway across the state and arrive an hour or two after sunrise. Please see my list of alternative guides, some in the Portal area or much closer than I am (eg: Sierra Vista).

Please see my rates and contact me with any questions or to make a booking.