Samson has been interested in the natural world since childhood and, after completing his schooling, he worked for a while as a caretaker on a farm in the western Soutpansberg, Limpopo. There his employer, Mark Harman, noticed Samson’s interest in nature, and birds in particular, and gave him an old pair of binoculars and a field guide. In 2004 Mark nominated Samson to Sarah Venter, the then manager of the Soutpansberg– Limpopo Birding Routes, to join a beginner’s bird-identification course she was organising. The same year Samson was selected to attend a bird-guiding course presented by BirdLife South Africa at Wakkerstroom in Mpumalanga. The Ben de Boer Trust was also pivotal in helping Samson to hone his skills as a top bird guide further by inviting him to participate in various advanced birding and guiding courses, as well as by providing some logistical support to kick-start his guiding career. The rest is history.
This story is from the May - June 2017 edition of African Birdlife.
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This story is from the May - June 2017 edition of African Birdlife.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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