Normally I think of critters that perch in the tops of trees as various kinds of birds. However, recently my bride and I were on our front porch in Mooresville looking at some ferns hanging from the front of the porch ceiling because one had a nest of little baby birds in it. Then, Susan noticed something in the top of a low growing Japanese maple that is in front of the porch. That something didn’t seem to fit the circumstances, so she took a closer look, then hollered for me to get over there. In the top of the tree lay a black snake curled up and enjoying (I suppose) the sunshine. Susan feared for the lives of the little baby birds and told me to get that snake out of the tree. I asked her exactly how she wanted me to do that, since I didn’t think the snake would take kindly to my grabbing it behind the head like in those old Mutual of Omaha tv shows. So, I defended the snake’s right to be there and pointed out that black snakes are good citizens that eat other critters that Susan doesn’t like to have around the house (i.e., mice). So, we let the snake alone. Susan checked on the birds later in the day, and found them safe. Unfortunately, the next day they were gone, and they didn’t fly out given their age. I can’t imagine that snake figuring a way to get up there, so I blamed other predatory birds for the crime.
Hey, that’s life in the “wild kingdom.”
