Battiste's Bed, Breakfast and Birds - Hereford, Arizona

Ariel Y.

A magical bird garden. Extremely birdy at all times. There is a $10 day fee and it's totally worth it! Parking is right in front of the garden. Tony is very friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. He was a joy to speak to. We visited in late April and saw nearly 50 birds in an hour one morning, including many hummingbirds (Lucifer's, Calliope, etc) and a roadrunner. Saw the Elf Owl and Western Screech Owl at night (~7PM).

I was visiting Arizona for the first time aiming to see a roadrunner, despite knowing the difficulty of seeing one, among other new life birds. My partner and I have already been birding in Arizona for several days, visiting every eBird hotspot with a recent roadrunner sighting and had no luck. We got to Tony's garden, who said there's one who regularly feeds on the mice in his garden, and right on cue, it showed up to eat a mouse! So glad I saw it. Dare I recommend Tony's garden as the only place in SE Arizona to reliably see a roadrunner?

Michael K.

Wonderful place. Starts with hosts Tony and Julie who are so nice (I sat so long in bird blind I didn't get dinner, they heated up leftover chili!). The birding is fantastic, Tony has built up a wonderful place for birds and people who watch birds. The elf owl was right on schedule (6:45pm) and that was a real treat. Accommodations were very comfortable. I'd recommend this place to anyone and can't wait to stay again.

CATHahn97

Tony and Julie are wonderful hosts - friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful. Tony has a great blind for birding photography, and shares his birding and photography expertise. Amazing experience to see Elf Owls. Great location to use as a “home base” and also bird Miller Canyon, Ramsey Canyon, and Ash Canyon. The kitchen is nicely stocked with Julie’s baked goods, fruit, juice, water, cereal, etc, Kuerig machine with a nice stock of coffees and hot chocolate. So glad we visited, and I hope to return!

P R.

Everything about our stay at Battiste's was perfect. Tony and Julie have thoughtfully provided everything for a comfortable stay. The casita was perfect for the two of us, with a queen bed, sitting area with TV, full bath (shower), and well equipped kitchen (no stove). Breakfast items were generously provided in our kitchen, allowing us to be on our way in search of the birds early in the morning. Julie's homebaked breads are delicious! Tony was especially patient and helpful in advising us on directions to places where we might find the birds we wanted to see. In addition, the feeder area just outside our door attracted a wide variety of species of birds. Battiste's is definitely "for the birds"...as well as the bird-ers.

Susan M.

My husband is professional photographer. We paid $10/each for a day pass to photograph birds for the day and for use of the bird blind. We had a reservation and we were told to arrive about 7:45. We arrived a little early after driving from Tucson. The blind was full, but my husband was offered a plastic chair to sit in. I was not offered any chair. The view from the blind was decent, with good lighting, but it was full (capacity of 2) the whole time. The site was unkept with old cement blocks, weeds and poor lighting for photos. It was not a natural setting.I just went and waited in the car, despite paying for the day pass. Eventually I had to use the restroom. This place is in a very run down, remote, residential neighborhood. My husband asked the owner if I could use the restroom. He just said there was a Dollar General down the road. ||We left and won’t be back. ||This review is only about the day pass. We did not stay there. We did not feel welcome, however, in any way.

Diane K.

I loved my cozy room (bedroom, sitting area, bathroom, and access to kitchen facility). And to be able to just step out the door for fantastic spring bird watching in a private blind was too cool. I popped out there at dawn to catch some early birds, then stepped back into my room for breakfast (all sorts of cereals, fruits, coffee, cocoa, juice, rolls provided), then back out. Tony Battiste was always asking if he could provide anything else and was a font of knowledge about all the birds and other birding areas to visit. I MUST go back when I can stay longer than 2 nights. If you go late March/early April there is the added bonus that you can watch the Elf Owl that nests in Tony's back yard. These tiny owls (5"-smallest in the world) have been coming back to nest for 16 years. If you leave your window open you can hear the pair calling to each other in the night.

Michael H.

Hi Folks. Where do I start. The 3 rooms were lovely. All had beautifully framed photos of birds that our host Tony Battiste had taken, mostly on the property. Tony has a photo blind set up so the morning sun gives proper lighting to the birds that come for breakfast. This is right on the Mexican boarder so there are exotics. Tony puts out a lovely breakfast for the birds who come in in great force. See our pictures - attached. We stayed for 5 nights. We plan to go back in the Spring of 2020. Regards, OldeBear

Mike J.

Tony Battiste really has a great B&B and birding setup there. We did see the Elf Owl, right when and where he said she would be. The male came almost on cue, and Tony was very good at following it with his flashlight so we could see and photograph it. The people actually staying at his B&B spoke very highly for it, but bear in mind that Tony has a 4-6 month lead time for reservations. Wonderful place to visit.