Joe and
Mary Ann McDonald's
Wildlife Photography
Photo Safaris
Mary and I personally conduct several photo safaris
each year.
All of our trips are tailored to your needs --
we only deal with small groups.
For information on our safaris, please choose:
Ethiopia's
Mountain Mammals
(.........) February 22 - March 7, 2008
Ethiopian wolves, ibex, hamadryas baboons, lammagyer vultures,
and spectacular landscapes. This safari will be devoted to the
exotic wildlife of the incredible highlands of Ethiopia.
Jaguars and the Wildlife of the Pantanal
(.........) August 27 - September 7, 2009
This trip booked full hours after being offered. We intend
to do this trip again in 2010. Although there is no brochure at
this time, the Trip Report will give you most of the details.
Previous entry:
In August, 2008 I'll be doing a scouting trip to the world's largest
wetlands, Brazil's Pantanal. On my scouting trip I'll be devoting
most of my time in searching for jaguars, the New World's largest,
and the world's third largest, cat, and from this experience I'll
set up the trip to maximize our chances for photographing wild
jaguars while still photographing the Pantanal's other incredibly
diverse wildlife. Other species we can expect include giant otters,
jabiru storks at the nest, hyacinth macaws, other parrot species,
a variety of song, perch, and water/wading birds, birds of prey,
kingfishers - the best location in the world, pootoos, caimens,
anacondas, and other reptiles, amphibians, and insects. I expect
this to be one of our most exciting destinations in 2009, so if
you're interested, get on to our first-contact list ASAP.
Kenya PHOTO SAFARI - Samburu, Nakuru, and the Masai
Mara
(.........) October 3-17, 2009 and (.........) October 17-31,
2009
These are among our most popular, and
difficult to get into, tours. Contact our office for final dates.
We'll be visiting the three best
game-viewing and photography destinations in Kenya, and probably
in all of Africa. Each locale is unique, with the endemic species
of semi-arid Samburu -- gerenuk, reticulated giraffe, beisa oryx,
Gunther's dik-dik, and of course great elephants and a wonderful
chance of leopard. Samburu's bird photography is extraordinary,
too. Lake Nakuru is famous for its flamingos -- sometimes numbering
in the millions, but it also has a candy-store variety of mammals,
including great white rhino, Rothschild's giraffes, and baboons,
vervet monkeys, leopards, various antelopes, and many species
of birds. The crown jewel is the Masai Mara, and our tours are
virtually the only photography tours that visit three distinct
locations within this incredibly rich park. By staying at three
different camps -- in the south, the west, and finally the east,
we'll maximize our game-viewing with minimum driving, concentrating
on the rich game of the region. Our subjects -- the best! Including
wonderful cheetah opportunities, great lion prides, hyenas, jackals,
leopards, all the plains game, crocs, hippos, elephants, and many
species of birds, both song and birds-of-prey. Our trips are limited
to 3 photographers per vehicle! Price is from Nairobi, and includes
all food, lodging, fees, and ground transportation.
Fee: TBA
Rwanda's MOUNTAIN GORILLAS
(.....) This trip will again be offered in the fall of 2010.
Rwanda's mountain gorillas are perhaps the premiere and most spectacular
wildlife encounter any wildlife photographer and wildlife lover
can have.
Participants Limit: 5 Fee: TBA
The
Mountain Gorillas of Rwanda - December 2005 trip For
Further Reference, view this older brochure.
Photographing the gorillas is almost a life-changing
experience. It is magical, exhilarating, and extremely productive.
Rwanda is a magical, scenically beautiful country that is safe,
tourist-friendly, and surprisingly comfortable. Features 5 days
of Mountain Gorilla permits and an extra full day for photographing
the landscapes and the people.
Torres del Paine, in the fabled land of Patagonia,
the windy mountains and steppes of southern Argentina and Chile,
sports some of the most spectacular landscapes on earth. The horns
and towers of the the Paine masiff are almost beyond description,
rising abruptly from the relatively flat steppes of Patagonia.
This trip will be primarily scenics, with views of the mountain
dominating our agenda, but there is a surprising amount of diversity
available with wildlife, flowers, gauchos, and more.
Dates: We may be offering this trip
in the fall of 2010. Price: TBA If
you are interested in this tour, or of joining me on a special
Puma photography expedition, contact our office.
The Best Location for Bird Photography
I've ever seen! CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR THE POSSIBLIITY OF A FUTURE
TRIP! We have kept our brochure up so that you will know what
to expect from this very rewarding, bird photography trip.
Think about the King, Gentoo, Rockhopper, and Magellanic Penguins,
the black-browed albatrosses, striated caracaras, kelp and upland
geese, giant petrels, elephant seals, and more we film on these
safaris!
TheGnu Birthing Season
We will offer this trip in the future
(our last was in Jan-Feb 2009). Contact our office for more information.
Tanzania's Serengeti is world-famous and justly so. It is a sweeping,
spectacular landscape with herds of gnus and zebras, with grassy
plains dotted with spectacular granite kopjes, the home of lions
and cheetahs. We'll be visiting two different locations in the
Serengeti, as well as the incredible Ngorongoro Crater -- a wildlife
mecca that is home to extremely trusty wildlife species. Our visit
is timed to be in the prime areas for witnessing the birthing
of the wildebeest (gnus) and all the drama often associated with
this spectacle. Contact our office for an immediate email notification
when we prepare to do this trip.
Contact us by e-mail.
info@hoothollow.com
Or FAX us at: (717) 543-6423.