Mystery in Britain as thousands of dead birds fall from the sky and rain down on cars

Pictures from Pembrokeshire in Wales show dead birds lining the street. A woman driving home saw the “eerie sight” between Waterston and Hazelbeach on Thursday evening.

Local reports suggest there were around 200 birds dead on the ground.

The cause of death for the flock has not been confirmed, with some residents pointing to the nearby Dragon LNG plant.

One man added he heard a loud bang before seven or eight birds rained down on his car in nearby Waterston.

Michaela Pritchard said it looked like a “massacre” as she travelled home, and called Pembrokeshire council to report what the dead birds at around 8pm.

Speaking to Wales Online, Ian Mccaffrey said some birds fell out of the sky onto his car just after he heard a large “electrical-type” bang.

The man, who works in Waterston, told the outlet: “When I left work last night [Thursday] I heard a bang and then a load of birds landed on my car.”

He then said he believed at least six landed on the ground, and added: “Every now and again you will hear a bang that is coming from what I think is a crow-scarer that farmers use.

“However this bang was more like an electrical bang – not quite as loud as lightning but similar.

“It’s like there were hundreds of birds in the sky and all of a sudden they just died and fell to the ground.

“It was quite surreal last night to be honest with you – not something I have ever experienced before.”

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Claire Eaton, who lives close to the road, went out at 11pm and said it was “traumatic” to see.

She told the outlet she thought the birds had “died on impact” and even managed to scoop one of the stunned birds up and take it home, still alive.

Ms Eaton said: “About an hour before I was at Neyland Marina walking my dog and I saw a big flash and I didn’t think anything of it.

“Maybe something spooked them and they flew into the pylons.”

She said she strongly believed that whatever was behind the incident was “manmade”.

She added: “I feel quite passionate about it – I think we should respect wildlife more in general.”

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A spokesperson for Dragon LNG said there had been nothing unusual at the plant on Thursday and it was carrying on work as normal.

She added: “It’s in the vicinity but it’s normal operations at Dragon LNG. There was nothing different at the plant.”

Pembrokeshire Council has also said it was aware of the incident. 

A council spokesman added: “We received a call at around 9pm on 10 February regarding a number of dead starlings on the Hazelbeach Road, Waterston.

“Officers attended the site and there were around 200 starlings found dead on the road. The authority undertook a clean-up and removed the dead birds from site.

“There is no clear indication as to the cause of these deaths. We have reported the incident to the Animal and Plant Health Agency.”

It comes after close to 4,000 birds died in 2021 due to an outbreak of a new bird flu virus.

Conservationists at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said around 10 percent of the Svalbard barnacle geese population have died.

They said the outbreak is “easily the largest and most widespread” in recent years.

Paul Walton, RSPB Scotland’s head of habitats and species, said: We are currently seeing the biggest bird flu outbreak of recent years which is adding yet more pressure to our already beleaguered wild bird populations.

“The presence of the High Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus in all UK countries, in both poultry premises and wild birds, and the high numbers of dead and sick birds now seen, is generating growing concern among conservationists and nature lovers.”