Wildwatch - Biography - Andre McDonald

Name: Andre McDonald

Nickname: Mac

Country: South Africa

Profile:

I started my career with &BEYOND in 2001 after obtaining an Honours degree in Ichthyology from Rhodes University and then two years of walking up and down the Wild Coast, interviewing fishermen. If that sounds like a good job, it got better. I was at Kwandwe for five years and saw it grow from a fledging reserve into a truly remarkable place. From there, my wife, Keri, and I spent three months guiding at Ngorongoro Crater Lodge in Tanzania which was an invaluable experience. We have now been at Exeter since October 2006. I love so many aspects of my job, from the wild flowers, to the people, and of course, the birds. My passion for birding has lead me to be a Specialist Bird Guide at Exeter. The focus of our holidays is often exploring Southern Africa and beyond in search of new birds. While in East Africa last year we travelled to Uganda where one of the highlights for me was finding a Shoebill, although the variety of new and colourful birds there was awe-inspiring.