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03/27/2025

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Email from McDonald Wildlife Photography, Inc. Early Springtime in Hoot Hollow Spring is just around the corner! This time of year is always exciting in Hoot Hollow. Wood frogs call from the vernal p

10/30/2024

October 30.. Aardwolf, Botswana.
I'd bet a lot of folks won't recognize this mammal, which isn't a wolf at all, but instead is the smallest member of a group that includes the second largest predator in Africa, the Spotted Hyena. BTW, Hyenas get a bad rep as cowardly scavengers, but they are very efficient predators that often have their kills stolen by Lions. Thank you, Disney's Lion King!
Enough on that for now ...
Aardwolves feed on termites, lapping them up as they emerge to feed at night. The Aardwolf is rarely seen during the day -- we've had a half-dozen sightings then -- so we were quite surprised to find this one relaxing outside its den. We visited it several times ... it was not shy ... although this one never left the den area while we were there. Incredibly, Aardwolves may eat 10,000 termites a night -- tiny little meals that add up!
Aardwolf, Botswana
OM-1 Mark 2, 150-400mm lens at 180mm
1/200 f5.6 ISO 3200 - shot very late in the day!

10/28/2024

October 25. In editing today I came across the shots from the off-road drivers surrounding the Leopard. You can see the leopard beside the tree, and the small lenses that were being used. Two of the vehicles, based upon the tarps, appear to be on a camping safari, and not all of the three a logo on the door. However, one did, and I'll assume the others were with the same company - The other vehicle belongs to Avocet while another, driving away as I photographed it, belonged to Travel Wise Safari. Perhaps that one should be called We Don't Care Safaris. Perhaps someone in the Tanzania parks system will see this and take action.

10/28/2024

October 27. African Leopard cub.
On our last full day in the Serengeti we returned, early, to the Leopard where, last evening, we'd watched as several vehicles ignored the rules and surrounded the tree, off-track, where the adult was resting. We hoped that these uncaring drivers and tourists were aware that the cub was in the area, and their heedless driving hadn't run over the cub. This certainly happens with Cheetah cubs, hidden and well-camouflaged in high grasses.
Fortunately that didn't happen, and we had the adult and cub. While many vehicles -- and there were many! -- simply followed the mother Leopard and her cub, we were proactive, driving to a spot where we suspected the adult would go. They did!
While this cub is running, it certainly wasn't afraid. A few minutes later the mother climbed onto a tree right in front of us, joined just a few minutes later by her cub.
The key, I believe, to successful shooting is often to be Proactive, anticipating action or behavior, and not being simply reactive -- which is often too late. Doing so, you'll get shots, and if part of being Proactive involves getting into position early, there's a lot less chance of you disturbing the subject by simply following it.
African Leopard cub, Serengeti, Tanzania
OM-1 Mark 2, 150-400 lens
1/1600 f5.6 ISO 1600

10/25/2024

October 25. Big day tomorrow, as we do a one-hour talk on the Best Settings and Techniques for Wildlife Photography with the OM SYSTEM. You must register for this, and there'll be programs throughout the day. Check it out!

Join us for this celebration of the 3rd Anniversary of OM SYSTEM! This online summit features several OM SYSTEM ambassadors