Rick spent 8 summers beginning in 1977 conducting research on the life history and ecology of Elegant Trogons in Arizona.  His studies soon led him south of the border to look at populations of these and other trogons, and in 1980 he founded Borderland Tours, an international birding tour company dedicated to responsible ecotourism.  Rick is the author of location checklists for the Huachuca and Chiricahua Mountains, as well as Trogons of the Arizona Borderlands (1994), A Birder’s Guide to Southeastern Arizona (2005; a title in the ABA regional field guide series), and a photo field guide Birds of Southeastern Arizona (2010).