By Jay Mahoney

In late January, I headed off for a two-week photo safari in Tanzania. This is the time of the year when the rain comes to the southern Serengeti Plain, and because the grass starts to grow herds of wildebeest and zebras migrate into the area to give birth. There can be up to 2 million wildebeest and 100,000 zebras.

We spent a week in the Ndutu wildlife area, the center of the migration. The many cheetah families in the area provided amazing photographic opportunities. Lions were also in abundance.

From there we traveled north to Serengeti National Park, where we had the opportunity to see more leopards.

After a few days, we headed to the Ngorongoro Crater, a vast and beautiful location that is home to many species of wildlife.

Todd Gustafson, a remarkable photographer, put the trip together. A special, which he put together and wrote the music for, will be aired on PBS later this year. Melissa Groo was the other lead photographer. She won the Audubon photo contest two years ago and is being honored next month by Greenwich Audubon for all of her work in wildlife conservation.