Losing my sanity in 3 screeches

The hadidas in my tree are driving me mad and I think they know it.

- SONJA BROWN

It starts just before dawn. The sky is soft and grey. The world is quiet, peaceful.

And then - skreeeeeaaaahhh. One hadida.

Skreeeeeaaaahhh, skreeeeeaahhh. Now three.

And suddenly my tree is a full-blown conference centre for South Africa's noisiest feathered citizens.

I don't know what they're discussing up there but judging by the volume and passion, it's either the price of worms or how best to destroy my will to live.

Let's be clear: that tree wasn't planted for them. It was planted for shade. Aesthetic value. Maybe a nostalgic swing one day. Not a biological air-raid siren system.