Laurens R. Halsey is a bird watching guide and wildlife photographer based in Green Valley, Arizona. Laurens is a lifelong birdwatcher and all around naturalist. He grew up with a family that loved the outdoors and appreciated nature. Having visited southeast Arizona for bird watching since a teenager, he had dreamed of living here. This dream came true in 1999 when the company Laurens worked for closed their facility in north-central Texas and moved the operation to Tucson. Laurens was one of the first to volunteer for the transfer. Several years ago, Laurens left the corporate world and began professionally guiding birdwatchers in southeast Arizona. Southeast Arizona ranks as one of the top bird watching destinations in North America. There are birds here that cannot be found elsewhere north of the Mexican border. Guiding is a means for Laurens to share his wildlife experiences with others on a personal basis. Laurens typically guides individuals or small groups, limiting the number of participants so that each receives personal service and the outing can be customized for their birding desires. This means Laurens takes you where you want to go and searches for the bird(s) you want to see.

Laurens has pursued wildlife (mostly birds) photography for much of his life. When not guiding, he can usually be found out in the field taking pictures of just about any creature he encounters. Though birds are the primary focus, other subjects include butterflies, lizards, snakes, spiders, bats, mammals, and an occasional flower. Just as guiding is a means for Laurens to share his wildlife experiences with others, photography provides another venue. Laurens� images have appeared in �The Vermilion Flycatcher� (magazine of the Tucson Audubon Society), Desert Rivers Audubon Society magazine newsletter, the �Canyon Chatter� (Friends of Madera Canyon newsletter), the Arizona Field Ornithologist photo documentation website, two editions of the book �Birds of Southeastern Arizona� (by Richard Cachor Taylor), and on Laurens� own website.

If hiring a guide for bird watching in the Coronado NF, make sure they have the necessary permit, it is the law. Laurens R. Halsey (dba Desert Harrier) is a permittee of the Coronado National Forest as a Outfitter/Guide.