Lee was at Entabeni Game Reserve around the same time I was there and what a legend…One of the perks of living and working as a field guide must be the days off when there are no guests in camp and sometimes, at the right lodge, at the right time the ability to go and appreciate what we have on our doorstep becomes available.
Of these “team building sessions”, one of my all-time favourite bush memories took place on a moonlit night on the back of a game viewer with fellow guides J-P and Dan belting out the lyrics to a Blink 182 song to an appreciative audience of wildebeest and zebra on the plains of Africa. It is moments like those that remind us that the life we lead as a field guide is one of the most special that we can have, not only for the amazing animal encounters, the stunning birds, the front row seats to the epic show, but more importantly for the incredible people we meet along the way, that we get to spend our indecently long working hours with and create memories to last a lifetime with.
Team building
Lee & I both share many similar interests, but where I taper off and stay in the comforts of what I know, he continues and challenges himself in nearly every element of the natural world! Thus, it goes without saying I have learned a great deal from him, and will still learn a great deal more from him! It’s certainly not often one finds people in the little corners of the world that fill their niche to the brim, and Lee is one of those people, ever energetic, ever enthusiastic and fascinated about the natural world around him.
Tracking
Be it hours spent sifting through photos of insects, to discussing the differences of tiny mongoose tracks, with a little bit of birds and birding, geology, botany and even some hilarious guitar sessions all mixed in after a long day in the sun!
Many great moments we have already shared in our usually fleeting encounters with each other, often focusing on topics of a natural or scientific kind, but the best memories so far with him have been once all the work is done and it’s time to kick back and have some fun!
Blog by Vaughan Jessnitz
