The tree that sings: Weaver birds steal the show at Sarova Whitesands

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Chirp-chirp-chatter. Chee-chee-chee. Melodiously rising, falling, bubbling chorus of hundreds of weaver birds, like an orchestra tuning up, that entertain tourists as they take their favorite breakfast at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa.

The performers are hundreds of weaver birds, all living in a single tree beside the main dining hall. It is not a zoo or a bird park, yet tourists from Germany, London, Nairobi and beyond stop to stare at it.

The male weaver builds his nest strand by strand, grass by grass, using only his beak and feet. Each nest is a hanging sphere with a small entrance tunnel facing down or sideways, a design that helps keep out snakes, monkeys and rain. From a distance, the tree looks hung with golden baubles.

The male builds several nests, not one. The female inspects them like a house-hunter, and if she does not like the workmanship, she rejects him and he must tear it down and start again. At Whitesands, that housing competition plays out daily.

Weavers also live in colonies rather than pairs. With hundreds of eyes on watch, a hawk is quickly spotted, and when one bird sounds the alarm, the whole colony joins in. When one finds food, others follow.

The song guests hear at breakfast is language. The male sings to attract a mate, fluttering his wings, hanging upside down and singing louder. When hundreds do it at once, the result is what guests call the Whitesands Chorus.

In breeding season the males turn golden-yellow with black masks, while the greenish-yellow females are busier and more practical. Unlike wild birds, these are unafraid of people and sing a metre from the tables.

“Those weaver birds are part of the hotel family,” said General Manager Francis Msengeti. “We protect that tree because it protects our story, nature, beauty and hospitality living together. When our guests have breakfast and the birds start to sing, Mombasa welcomes them.”

The tree is tall and strong, with long, flexible branches that can carry hundreds of nests. Its leaves give shade from the Coast sun, and its height keeps predators away. It stands beside a dining hall that is busy by day and quiet at night.

Food is plentiful. The resort sits on 22 acres of tropical gardens on Bamburi Beach, with palms, grasses, flowers, fruit trees and insects. That means seeds for the adults, insects for the chicks and green grass for weaving.

The tree is also safe. Staff protect it, nobody chases the birds, and the gardens are kept wild enough for nature to thrive. That trust took years to build, and the birds have rewarded it by staying.

Mombasa’s warm climate lets the birds breed and build almost all year, and the sea breeze cools the tree. Weavers are also social, so when one brave pair chose the tree years ago, others followed. It is now their village.

“We came to the beach, but it was the birds who stole our breakfast,” said a guest from Nairobi holidaying with her family. “My children refused to go to the pool, they just wanted to sit, listen and watch them build their little houses. It was the best show in Mombasa, and it was free.”

Sarova Whitesands did not build this attraction, nature did. The hotel simply had the wisdom to leave one tree alone and share its dining hall with its smallest, loudest guests.