I hope this doesn't become known as the "videos of flocking birds" blog. This next clip I filmed in late December is amazing. It shows a flock of hundreds (thousands?) of European Starlings all trying to pack into one small Eastern Redcedar across the street from my house. The problem is there are far more birds then can fit in the tree and at some points it starts to get pulled down. You have to see this to believe it!
UPDATED - Remixed with music from Two Ton Boa. The original video is still online here. I am now hosting the remix on Revver. The remix is on Google Video here.
By the way, Starlings are just about my least favorite bird, living up to their scientific came (Sturnus vulgaris). Non-native, and introduced into NYC's Central Park over 100 years ago by some Shakespeare freaks (seriously), they are now widespread across the U.S. and a major nuisance. On a positive note, if you ever manage to find yourself near a huge flock of them, the sounds they give off are absolutely amazing. Other than that... when it comes to non-native species, I hear they make great food for a pet snake. For real.
You're right- the whooshing sound a full flock makes as they take flight in a panic is truly spectacular. But as your remarkable video demonstrates, they are truly vulgar, destructive creatures. And why don't you start a separate "videos of flocking birds" blog? That'd be huge.
Posted by: Happy | January 10, 2006 at 05:12 PM
amazing video.
i don't know much about birding, but i starlings have long been my least favorite bird. around dc, we have a lot of sparrows, and the starlings seem to always be bullying them. something about a starling just screams "punk."
Posted by: eddie | June 24, 2006 at 11:23 PM
Wow, I wonder what caused them to do that?
Posted by: yian | June 25, 2006 at 03:00 AM
Great video- although the titling in the first half is a LIT-TLE annoying.
Posted by: gafftape | June 25, 2006 at 05:13 AM
Nice catch with the video. Reminds me of when the junkies out back all swarm that last fit and nearly bring themselves down. Okay, it doesn't really, but the visual is kind of the same.
Posted by: Hank | June 25, 2006 at 05:28 AM
Makes me seasick. And please do something about all those "whoah's" and "what is it about that tree?" sound effects... replace it with the sound of the ocean or something.
Posted by: John | June 25, 2006 at 07:41 AM
Hey, could you tell me who filmed this video? Whoever did should put some kind of notice on the video. Maybe like a cheap-looking annoying spinning text effect that loops 9 times in the center of the video. That way no one else could take credit for the lots-of-birds-in-a-tree video thats sure to become the next big internet meme.
Posted by: diuwirreithink | June 25, 2006 at 10:14 AM
scott, in case you're wondering why this old story suddenly got "poplar," see here
http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=2137427
(not my joke)
Posted by: eddie | June 25, 2006 at 12:38 PM
Looks like a great place to apply a series of shotgun blasts. Too many cars running back and forth tho.
Ian
Posted by: Ian | June 25, 2006 at 03:17 PM
so......... you justa HAD to say "sturnus vulgaris" completely out of context... as in (silence)... Sturnus vulgaris... (more silence)... as if to prove to everyone in the car that you KNEW it!
Here's to you, Mr. knows-the-latin-name-of-wild-birds guy...
Posted by: Ima Palled | June 25, 2006 at 06:13 PM
hehehe
Posted by: dofje | June 25, 2006 at 07:14 PM
OH MY GOD WE'RE ALL POST-MODERN INTERNET SAVANTS...WE SHOULD POST TO THIS GUY'S BLOG WITH ANNOYING DETRACTIVE COMMENTS THAT CHIP AWAY AT HIS SELF ESTEEM, AND THUSLY TRY TO HIDE THE FACT THAT WE'RE ALL REALLY JEALOUS BECAUSE WE COULDN'T COME UP WITH AN INTERNET VIDEO THAT PEOPLE WOULD ACTUALLY WATCH EVEN IF WE COVERED OURSELVES IN PAPER MACHE AND LIT OURSELVES ON FIRE
Bet you guys are all REAL tough without the keyboard. I bet when the secretary denies your supply requests for more #2 pencils, you march out of your cubicle, track her down, and make REALLY ANNOYING SNIDE COMMENTS until she gives in! FIGHT THE MAN OMG LOL
You've arrived on the Internet, Scott -- total strangers are fighting in YOUR blog over events that have no impact whatsoever on their lives! Congratulations, good work, and for pete's sake, invest in a few anti-bird grenades!
Posted by: Cybertron 5000 | June 25, 2006 at 11:39 PM
nice video, shame about the american comments!
a very very strange breed, those yanks!
Posted by: Old European | June 26, 2006 at 06:14 AM
nice video.
Grüss aus Deutschland.
Posted by: wunga | June 26, 2006 at 07:24 AM
Nice video dude, really unusual )
We have a similiar amount of miner birds here on our property at the moment, they hang around the front driveway, I will pay them closer attention in case something weird happens )
from Justin in Geelong/Australia
Posted by: Justin | June 26, 2006 at 08:28 AM
Glad everyone is enjoying it, this has been quite a surprise getting all the traffic. So far I have been Dug, Farked, and Googled. And what appears to be a Rocketboom like show in Germany covered it and I am getting a lot of European traffic.
Cheers everyone! Thanks for visiting!
Posted by: sefraser | June 26, 2006 at 10:58 AM
You've also now been Aardvark'ed. ;)
http://www.aardvarkbusiness.net/chat/viewtopic.php?t=11121
Posted by: Paul | June 26, 2006 at 11:37 AM
when i first viewed this, i thought the pair of cedars was some kind of giant, digitally created, bird creature. like Yagarek, the Garuda, in Perdido Street Station. the starlings were disturbing, but the flapping of giant dark, sillouetted "wings" as starlings alighted and then departed from the tree was even more surreal and freaky. a bird gestalt - subliminal communication or an overactive subconscious?
Posted by: leslie anne levine | June 26, 2006 at 01:35 PM
Yes, bit of a shame about the titling, but all the same a great little video clip.
Bob Devon UK
PS I don't think you were saying the latin name to impress anyone, more likely for the benefit of your kids who I think I hear in the background?
Posted by: Bob M | June 26, 2006 at 04:12 PM
Interesting video! Any ornithologists care to explain the phenomena?
Posted by: Aaron | June 26, 2006 at 10:30 PM
All I can think is what fun it would be to have a 12 gauge ready for the nasty things
Posted by: g | June 26, 2006 at 10:43 PM
Hey Great video... me likey.
Posted by: Natrix | June 26, 2006 at 10:51 PM
Bob from the UK asked:
>>
PS I don't think you were saying the latin name to impress anyone, more likely for the benefit of your kids who I think I hear in the background?
<<
Yes indeed, I had my kids in the car and have been teaching them about birds.
In any case, I have gotten a lot of feedback about the video, and am going to upload a new "remix" with better quality video and a sound track. Hope to get that online in the next day or two, depending on how long till Google Video puts it through their processing.
Posted by: sefraser | June 27, 2006 at 12:28 AM
You've been fazed :)
Great video
Posted by: Damonius | June 27, 2006 at 01:39 AM
That is one strange series of events that would sure catch the attention of any bystanders with a video camera. I would sure of like to have a 12 gauge at that point lol but in any event, I'm sure the birds were just tired and trying to find a leaved tree in which to rest upon, because maybe in Europed at that time of year, the trees all had leaves, so the birds natural instinct is to land in a tree of leaves? I don't know, but nice video man.
Posted by: David | June 27, 2006 at 02:05 AM