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"Birdnado Incoming": Video Shows Thousands Of Tree Swallows Taking Flight In Massachusetts

A scene right out of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" was captured on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

(CBS Boston)

CBS Boston

September 17, 2026

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A scene right out of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" was captured on the North Shore of Massachusetts.

The U.S. Department of the Interior shared video Tuesday of a "birdnado" showing thousands of tree swallows taking flight at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Complex in Newburyport. The agency explained that the marshes of the federal conservation area are the perfect place for the birds to rest and fill up on insects and berries as they migrate south for the fall.

"When enough swallows show up at once, migration starts looking a lot like Twister... the original... not the remake," the department said.

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