Up a gum tree!

The birds were all a-twitter in the old gum tree this morning, in the way they behave when a boomslang (snake) is around. There were grey-headed sparrows, a house sparrow, red-faced mousebirds, doves, a pin-tailed whydah and a double-collared sunbird hopping from twig to twig, and it didn't take long to trace the source of the commotion!

Mango thought she was well hidden behind that little bit of greenery, not realising that the rest of the tree is dead and so she was basically out in the open! The birds knew they were not at risk of becoming breakfast, even though Biggles followed soon after, as the higher they climbed, the thinner and weaker the branches became, and there was one tricky situation that involved clutching with claws to prevent an unseemly departure to the ground floor by Mango. She was extra cautious after that and the birds gave up their teasing and flew off to find their own food. Biggles lost interest right from the beginning. 

Hopefully they will confine their tree-climbing activities to the gum tree and not take an interest in the Christmas tree!