Journey Home: How a Simple Act of Kindness Led to the Creation of a Living Legacy

by Bonnie Paton Moon

"Patagonia is a tiny hamlet located in the Sonoita Valley in southeastern Arizona. A few blocks from the main street through town, on the Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, lies a non-descript ranch house that is no less than one of the most famous birdwatching sites in the world." National Geographic News, Mathew Tekulsky. The story about how this remarkable place, which became known as Paton's Birder Haven came to be and the legacy that it created began in 1974 when Wally & Marion Paton moved from New England to Patagonia, Arizona. They planted bushes and flowers around their yard and hung a variety of birdfeeders. Birds flying down the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek in search of food, soon changed their flight path to check out this new oasis - and they came by the thousands. Inspired by a visit, in the early 1990's, from well-known wildlife photographer, Arthur Morris, who noticed the rare Violet-crowned Hummingbird at their feeders, Wally & Marion Paton opened their gate and welcomed in the public. A world-renowned birding mecca evolved and life around the Paton house was never quite the same. But this is not just a story about birds and birdwatching, Journey Home - How a Simple Act of Kindness Led to the Creation of a Living Legacy is also a story about the kind and generous couple who welcomed strangers into their yard for decades asking nothing in return. Children of the Great Depression and WWII sweethearts, their early years were marked with hardship and sacrifice. Instilled at an early age, the values of hard work, kindness and a generosity of spirit stayed with them throughout their entire lives and would be the catalyst in opening their yard to a world of strangers. When Wally & Marion Paton passed away, many described it as "the end of an era." What was to become of this tiny piece of birding paradise visited by thousands of birdwatchers and naturalists each year. A telephone call from a 102 year old blind woman marked the beginning of a major conservation effort. Paton's Birder Haven, now known as Tucson Audubon's Paton Center for Hummingbirds, remains an internationally renowned birding destination for observing migrating hummingbird species, as well as other elusive birds of the Coronado Forest. Attracting media attention for decades, Paton's has been the subject of numerous magazine articles including National Geographic, Smithsonian, Bird Watcher's Digest, National Wildlife Magazine and more. Two PBS specials have been filmed at the property.

182 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 16, 2018

Reviews

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting story about the Wally and Marion Paton, their roots, their move to Arizona, their accidental founding of a birding haven, their generous opening of their private backyard to visitors and finally the agreement of their family to save it for future generations through the Tucson Audubon's Paton Center for Hummingbirds.

Several people have recommended we visit this sanctuary during an upcoming trip and one of those people had even purchased this book and shared it with me.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story of Wally and Marion Paton and how they opened their yard in Patagonia, Arizona, as a mecca for birders from all over the world. It was especially meaningful since we have visited the Paton's sanctuary several times, while the Patons were still living there and later when it became a very special refuge operated by the Tucson Audubon Society.