Stunning video captured this week in Salem, Oregon, shows thousands of tiny birds swirling in a massive, twisting cloud around a historic church steeple before plunging into the chimney at dusk.
The footage, first shared by AccuWeather, looks like something ripped from a Halloween thriller. An estimated 4,000 Vaux’s swifts circled the white steeple of First United Methodist Church before funneling into the chimney to roost for the night.
The birds formed dense, swirling patterns against an overcast sky as the church lights glowed below. Viewers immediately compared the scene to Hitchcock’s The Birds.
This is no random event. Vaux’s swifts, small migratory birds that spend most of their lives in the air, stop in the Pacific Northwest each September on their journey south to Central America. With fewer old-growth trees available, they have adapted to using large brick chimneys as overnight roosts. The crowded grouping helps them conserve heat and energy.
The Salem church chimney has become a regular stop in recent years. Locals gather in the parking lot south of the building at 600 State Street to watch the birds arrive about 40 minutes before sunset and drop in after dark.
The spectacle is breathtaking and a little unsettling. The tight, coordinated movement of thousands of birds creating a living vortex above a church steeple delivers a rare mix of natural wonder and cinematic unease.
Similar roosts appear at other Oregon chimneys this time of year. Experts urge people to keep their distance, stay quiet, and avoid flying drones so the birds can rest undisturbed before continuing their long migration.
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