A century-old Greek pine tree is causing a flap among local nature-lovers after cutters acting on instruction, decided to put a chainsaw to the thick branches – until being stopped in their tracks by a concerned citizen.
That concerned citizen is Toni McMurray who on her daily walk saw the cutters at work in Miles Rd disturbing a colony of African Sacred ibis who are nesting atop the tree.
The tree is located on a residential premises in upper Miles Street, whose current owner remains unknown.
“I saw the cutters at work when passing by on my daily walk… when I saw what was happening I immediately asked them to halt work because they are not allowed to cut down a tree where birds are nesting. It disturbs the colony and the birds get seriously stressed, “ said McMurray.
The tree had already been de-limbed on the one side about just over the quarter of the way up.
According to McMurray the stated intention is that the final removal will resume once the last chick has fledged.
“They (cutters) have reported removal on the basis that the tree is an alien species … however this classification fails to account for tree’s deeply embedded ecological role,” said McMurray.
“The pine is probably close to 100-years old and stands at least five-storeys high overlooking the river and floodplain.”
She said for six to eight weeks every year the young ibis took their first flights from this tree – stepping into the onshore breeze and looping back in to the nest.
“I am hoping that public awareness and media attention will prompt an urgent reassessment before irreversible damage is done.”
Confusion about the history of the building still remains and the premises where the tree is located remains unoccupied.
“These are colonial breeders that return to the same nesting site year after year, and when that site is disturbed during breeding season, the entire colony can be lost from the area.
This tree is strategically positioned directly above the duck pond and wetland where birds feed. For colonial species, nesting sites and feeding grounds are closely linked. When these two factors are separated, breeding success drops sharply.”
She said though the tree had already been delimbed significantly on both sides, the upper canopy area is still sufficient for the colony to nest in.
“That is why we are appealing to the municipality to consider the ecological consequences and stop the cutting down of this tree.
A Facebook post detailing the issue was awash with contrasting responses in the comments section.
Lousie Fleming said: “This is a heartbreaking loss. The same thing happened in Kleinemonde last year.”
Nicololene Bothma did not agree saying: “Sad as it may be, if it is causing damage to the foundation then it must go.”
Said Mickey Wittuhn: “Please rather focus on our duck pond rather than an old tree, where nothing will ever grow.”
Zara Flax said, “Terribly sad. There is only one left in Kleinemonde, so many species are nesting in layers like a city. There is nowhere else for them to go.”
Despite repeated attempts for comment, the province’s East London-based department of economic development, environmental affairs and tourism had not replied to questions put to them concerning the situation at the time of going to press.
- This article was first published in Talk of the Town, February 5, 2026. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays
