AZ-Paton+Center+for+Hummingbirds


 * =Birding in Arizona=

Santa Cruz County
=Paton Center for Hummingbirds= 477 Pennsylvania Avenue Patagonia, Arizona 85624 Paton Center for Hummingbirds (Tucson Audubon Society) website Paton Center for Hummingbirds (Facebook) webpage

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Paton Center for Hummingbirds (Patons' Yard)
Coordinates: 31.5390131, -110.7606337 eBird links: Hotspot map View details Recent visits My eBird links: Location life list Submit data

Tips for birding Paton Center for Hummingbirds
From Discover Arizona's Mountain Empire

About Paton Center for Hummingbirds
A trip to the Patagonia area would not be complete without a visit to the Paton’s. It all started with a bird at a feeder in Patagonia. When Wally and Marion Paton looked out and saw a violet-crowned hummingbird in their backyard sometime in the 1970s, they probably didn’t realize that this little bird was going to make the couple famous, at least in the bird watching world. And they probably didn’t think that this encounter would ultimately lead to ownership of their modest ranch house and five acres being turned over to the Tucson Audubon Society. Bonnie Moon, the Patons’ daughter and executor of their estate, said: “I think they would be very pleased.”

When Marion Paton died in 2009, her husband having preceded her in death, the family had to decide what should become of their Patagonia property, which had become a bird watching Mecca since the Patons had opened their gates and invited the public to share their love of birds in their backyard. “The Paton property is special,” said Tucson Audubon Society director, Paul Green, “because it is the only reliable place to see the violet crowned hummingbird.”

But people visit Patons’ to see more than the violet crowned, as there are more than a dozen different hummingbirds, as well as many other species of birds, who are attracted to the feeders in this backyard. Because the property abuts Nature Conservancy land, many birds that are present there fly into the Patons’ to feed. “It is a peculiar coming together of circumstances,” Green said, “and it’s developed a great reputation internationally as a good place to go.”

The Paton property in Patagonia, Arizona, has been purchased and will continue to provide world class birding opportunities. From Discover Arizona's Mountain Empire



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