While the morning sun begins to sneak through the forest canopy & the grey mist fades away, I used to love observing the jungle wildlife slowly waking up. The visitors often included a splendid grey hornbill which would land in the mango tree below my balcony. They’re such strange & beautiful birds and with that big awkward beak, you just wonder how it ever manages to take flight. This hornbill appeared to be quite a shy bird too & I think he loved the tree’s thick leaves which enabled him to easily shuffle away from view. To my envy, the hornbill had an almost endless supply of juicy green mangoes to gobble up from this big old tree. The sweet smell & taste of a mango has always been a favourite of mine & if I was early enough, I was sometimes able to beat my feathered friend in the race for breakfast. Of course, I’d always leave try & leave him some. And I’m sure he’d prefer to share his fruit with me rather than with those troublesome monkeys…..CH