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We. Find. Birds.
Tim is an exceptionally gifted birder and guide. He loves what he does and his depth of knowledge is astounding.
Lesley M.
“Multi Day Tour”, 2017
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14 Years of Guiding Experience And a simple philosophy for success
When we say, "We. Find. Birds", that's what we do. Our tours are designed to focus on some of the most sought after species the mountain west has to offer, including a handful of birds found nowhere else in the United States or world. Give us a chance and we'll find birds for you!
The Story
Hi, My Name's Tim And I'll be your guide today!
So, back in the 1980s, my dad used to take me hunting with him. Duck, Grouse, Pheasant, Deer, Elk, etc. Hunting was to him, what birding became for me--and it was those early hunts that piqued my interest in birds. Dad wasn't a bird watcher, but he had a Golden Guide to Birds and a pair of binoculars in his truck. So growing up, when I saw something interesting, I tried to figure it out. Eventually, this led to me getting a camera and taking pictures, and then full-fledged addiction to birding. Here I am more than 20 years later, and I still look at every bird I see.
Flammulated Owls “I can show you that!”
In college one of my buddies convinced me to apply for a summer job doing field work in Wyoming. I applied, interviewed, and was hired by Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory to conduct transects in western Wyoming for a larger project called Monitoring Wyoming Birds. I ended up staying on for 3 summers, before spending a year working for the State of Utah on a similar project monitoring breeding species in the southern part of the state.
One day while birding post-survey, I ran into a group of birders from North Carolina, who had one target bird left on their summer tour of Utah--the Flammulated Owl. I had learned about finding this species 2 years earlier while working in Wyoming when I was part of a team that found and documented the 1st nesting Flammy in Wyoming. I told the group, I could help them--and 2 nights later I showed them their lifer Flammulated Owl.
Mountain West Birding Company A business was born
After taking my first group for owls, I got an opportunity again later in the summer--going 2 for 2 on owls I decided to offer tours in 2008 when the ABA Conference was held at Snowbird, Utah. And just like that, I created Mountain West Birding Company. After a short foray into online retail, I focused solely on tours and went from taking 5-6 groups each summer in the early 2010s, to leading 40-50 tours annually for owls and various other species of birds. Today I've taken more than 300 clients to 7 states where we've recorded nearly 300 species of birds on tours.
Personal Life The glue that keeps it all together
Born and raised in Salt Lake City, I went to college in Wisconsin and spent a year working in Indiana during my 20's. But the mountains have always been my home, and after my 5 years out of state, I returned to Utah, where I've been for the last 12 years. In 2011 I married my lovely wife Sam, and in 2014 we welcomed our pride and joy, Cameron into our lives. When not working or guiding, we enjoy watching a lot of sports--especially the University of Utah Football team, the Denver Broncos, and Green Bay Packers. We all have the itch to travel and visit California several times a year to take in the warm weather, beautiful beaches, great birds, and Disneyland (fun fact, I've seen more species at Disneyland than anyone else). We also love seeing the world, most recently visiting Bali and Komodo, while previously traveling to Europe, Africa, South America, and Central America.
Professional Life I went to school to be an Artist, I walked away a Designer
I studied art in college, with an emphasis on photography and graphic design. I later taught myself HTML, CSS, and Javascript, and went from being a graphic designer to a web designer, and for the past 10 years working in product design in the software industry. I spent several years at Overstock.com, before working for Entrata from 2011 to 2018 leading their mobile product design. In 2018 I joined the team at iServe--one of the 5 top-selling retailers on Amazon--as the Director of User Experience, helping create their new software platform, redesigning their website, and help with the rebranding effort which launched in December 2018 as Pattern, at pattern.com.
What People
are saying…
And why they keep coming back for more birds
Top Rated Wildlife Tour in Salt Lake City