Passengers who weathered Hurricane Milton on cruise ships noticed an unusual sight late at night: birds flying erratically, with some flailing or falling lifelessly on the ships’ decks.
The strange occurrence was noted on at least two ships, Carnival Valor and Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas, from October 8 to 9 off the coast of Tampa.
Many passengers who saw the event shared the footage online.
| ❝We are stuck on a cruise that ported out of Tampa and suddenly thousands of birds and moths started flying erratically in the middle of the sea and started falling out of the sky and they had to close all the open decks❞ – one netizen wrote over his video of the birds. |
Meanwhile, an insurance agent from Alabama told Newsflare, “We were terrified when we saw the erratic birds. Some were falling straight onto the deck and others into the ocean. It felt very apocalyptic.“
Why Were Birds Falling From the Sky?
Carnival Cruise Line brand ambassador John Heald told concerned guests online that he encountered similar scenes during his voyages as cruise director.
Healed noted that the birds get caught in storms mid-migration. When they cannot fly through adverse weather events, they have been known to crash on ships’ decks.
Heald assured the public that the animals are handled according to established protocols. “The facts are that the dead birds are collected and disposed of in accordance with United States Public Health,” he wrote on Facebook. “The ones that live will be cared for by the crew as best they can before they fly off once the storm has passed.”
READ MORE: Hurricane Milton Cruise Itinerary Changes [October 2024]
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, migratory birds travel through the Gulf of Mexico during hurricane season. Most of them wait for “favorable winds and weather” before beginning the journey, but some birds can get caught in a storm, especially if they’re far away from land.
Though migrants have enough stamina to complete the 600-mile journey, they don’t always survive, particularly if they have to fly against strong headwinds.
Cruising during hurricane season is riskier but cheaper for guests. Several cruise lines changed their itineraries last week in preparation for Hurricane Milton.
