Birding Northern Arizona
(928) 380-0555
Birdin the heck out of it
since 2016
Your Guide
A New Englander by birth, I grew up exploring the cranberry bogs, barrier beaches, and sandbars of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. These formative years sparked my love for the outdoors and the natural world. That passion deepened at Middlebury College in Vermont, where a flying squirrel and a hawk (yes, seriously!) inspired me to pursue wildlife studies.
After graduation, I honed my outdoor skills in the Rockies before heading to the Bay Area to begin my career in wildlife, hooting for spotted owls by night and banding raptors by day. It was then that I realized my calling: to share these extraordinary experiences with others. Realistically, I needed more experience and returned to school at Humboldt State University in California (now Cal-Poly Humboldt) and earned a master’s degree in wildlife management.
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Soon after, I found myself working as a biologist, surveying breeding songbirds in the spring and summer for Bird Conservancy for the Rockies while spending five fall seasons banding raptors during migration with Hawkwatch International. I lived in remote and challenging locations, often sleeping in a tent under the stars. A life-changing whim brought me to Flagstaff, Arizona, where I discovered that the state is a birding mecca, brimming with opportunities to observe one of the most diverse bird populations in North America.
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Alongside my wildlife consulting and bird surveys for non-profit environmental organizations, I began applying for Outfitter/Guide Permits on the Coconino National Forest. In 2013, I started leading birdwatching trips for the Audubon Society and the Verde Valley Bird and Nature Festival. Then, in 2016, after nearly a decade of waiting, Birding Northern Arizona received its permit to guide educational hiking tours on the Redrock Ranger District—truly realizing my dream job.
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Since then, I’ve expanded my tours to Flagstaff and the Vermilion Cliffs to see the California Condor. While becoming a professional guide at 45 years old isn't the typical path, I believe my decades of experience in the service industry, 20+ field seasons living off the grid, and deep passion for wildlife make me uniquely qualified to share the wonders of birdwatching with others.
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Before founding Birding Northern Arizona, I organized trips with my close friends to domestic birding hotspots like Texas, Florida, and, of course, Arizona. We’ve also visited Costa Rica twice and trekked through the Andes in Peru. On one of these trips, we coined the phrase “Birding the Heck Out of It,” a saying we still use.
As a laid-back westerner with an east coast sense of humor, I maintain a life outside birding by mountain biking the world class terrain of the southwest and playing tennis competitively when my knees are feeling young. Thanks for reading!
