THE BIRDS OF CAPITOLA — 1961
Imagine, if you will, you are lying snugly in your bed, sound asleep on a very early Friday morning. Suddenly, you awake to the odd, repetitive sound of enormous “thuds” coming from all directions of your home.
Your first thought might be, Is it an earthquake? Maybe a hailstorm? But neither makes sense in your rudely awakened stupor. The noise begins to grow louder and faster.
Your children awaken from their beds and come running into your room, screaming in fear as the terrifying sounds continue to echo throughout the house. Not knowing what is happening, you climb from your bed and cautiously peek through the blinds.
And then you see them.
Dozens of birds are flying directly into your home. Others lie scattered across the lawn. Some are lifeless in the streets. Still others are flopping helplessly across the pavement outside. You open the blinds to get a better look—and stare in disbelief at the bizarre scene unfolding before you.
This was an actual event.
It happened in Santa Cruz County on Friday, August 18, 1961.
The small coastal town of Capitola was suddenly overwhelmed by thousands of birds. They were Sooty Shearwaters, large seabirds measuring roughly 15 to 18 inches in length, with wingspans approaching three feet. That morning, they seemed to be everywhere.
And they were falling from the sky.
THE BIRDS
The strange invasion wasn't limited to Capitola alone. The birds were reported along the coastline from Pleasure Point to Rio del Mar, with Capitola and Pleasure Point particularly affected. Residents were awakened at approximately 3 a.m. by the relentless sound of birds slamming into their homes.
A local patrolman, Ed Cunningham, reported that the phenomenon had actually begun around 2:30 a.m.
Birds slammed into houses, telephone poles, automobiles, trees, television antennas, the ground—and even one another.
They were simply falling from the sky. Some crashed through windows. Others struck buildings with such force that they died instantly. Residents who ventured outside found themselves confronted by thousands of confused seabirds. And strangely, the birds seemed to be attracted to light.
People who rushed outside with flashlights discovered that the birds would fly toward the beams, making the bizarre situation even more frightening. At the time, some believed the dense coastal fog had disoriented the birds, causing them to mistake artificial lights for a navigational reference. The birds were also behaving unlike the normally nonaggressive seabirds people knew.
Some attacked or pecked at people.
Eight people were reportedly bitten.
And then there was the smell...The birds had apparently been feeding heavily on anchovies and other fish before coming ashore. As they crashed through the community, many regurgitated pieces of fish and fish skeletons across streets, lawns and rooftops. The result was an overpowering fishy stench that lingered throughout the area.
A patrolman estimated that he witnessed at least 2,000 birds continuously falling from the sky. By morning, the streets, roads and beaches were littered with dead and stunned birds. The affected area stretched for miles along the coast. Estimates eventually placed the number of dead and injured birds at roughly 4,000, with thousands more; still alive but severely affected.
Those that survived wandered about in a dazed and confused state, some staggering through the streets as though they had no idea where they were.
The mysterious event left residents with far more questions than answers.
WHAT WAS HAPPENING?
At the time, nobody knew.
Theories quickly began circulating about what could have caused such bizarre behavior. Some frightened residents wondered if they were witnessing an apocalyptic event, others looked for a more scientific explanation. Professionals suggested the birds may have become disoriented in the unusually dense fog. Others wondered whether the birds had been confused by the sound of heavy artillery fire from the military training areas near Fort Ord. Still others questioned whether the birds were suffering from some unknown illness. Theories came and went. But the birds kept falling; and for the residents of Capitola, the experience must have seemed almost unreal.
THE AFTERMATH
For days, cleanup crews worked through the streets of Capitola, gathering the thousands of dead and dying birds. Garbage trucks were brought in to haul away the carcasses, while residents were left to deal with the overwhelming smell and the strange remains scattered throughout their neighborhoods. The Red Cross was also reportedly involved in providing treatment, including tetanus protection for people who had been bitten or scratched by the birds. The small coastal community slowly returned to normal. But the mystery remained. Why had thousands of normally nonaggressive seabirds suddenly descended upon Capitola? For decades, nobody knew. Then, many years later, scientists began looking back at what had happened.
THE MYSTERY FINALLY EXPLAINED
The answer may have been hiding in the ocean all along. Modern marine scientists believe the birds were likely suffering from domoic acid poisoning, a neurological toxin produced by certain species of marine algae, particularly Pseudo-nitzschia. The toxin can accumulate in fish and other marine organisms that become part of the food chain.
And the birds had been feeding on anchovies.
Decades after the Capitola incident, scientists examined preserved marine samples collected from Monterey Bay in 1961. Researchers found evidence of potentially toxic Pseudo-nitzschia species in those preserved samples.
The evidence strongly suggested that domoic-acid-producing algae may have been responsible for the strange behavior and deaths of the Sooty Shearwaters. What had appeared to be an inexplicable invasion may actually have been a massive case of marine toxin poisoning. The mystery that had terrified Capitola in 1961 finally had a plausible explanation.
But there was still another strange twist to the story.
HITCHCOCK HEARS ABOUT THE BIRDS
In an odd twist of fate, word of the bizarre event reached Hollywood. Alfred Hitchcock, the legendary master of suspense who maintained a home in the hills near Scotts Valley, was apparently fascinated by what was happening in his own backyard.
And this isn't merely local legend.
The Santa Cruz Sentinel itself reported that Hitchcock contacted the newspaper from Hollywood and requested a copy of the paper containing the story. The headline of the subsequent article read:
“Alfred Hitchcock Using Sentinel's Seabird Story.”
The newspaper reported that Hitchcock was using the previous Friday's edition as research material for his latest thriller and that he was preparing to film Daphne du Maurier's The Birds, and the timing was almost too strange to be true. Hitchcock was already working toward bringing du Maurier's story to the screen.
But now, thousands of real birds had descended upon a small coastal community only miles from his Santa Cruz County home.
The real-life event had suddenly become research material for the filmmaker. Hitchcock himself reportedly denied having anything to do with the feathered invasion.
“Merely a coincidence,” he reportedly said.
Whether he was being serious—or simply enjoying the irony—is another matter.
THE BIRDS
Two years later, Hitchcock's film The Birds would arrive in theaters. The film was based on Daphne du Maurier's 1952 story, so the Capitola incident did not create the original premise. But the bizarre 1961 event clearly caught Hitchcock's attention and became part of the research surrounding his film. Scientific literature has likewise documented the connection between the Capitola bird event, Hitchcock's interest in the story, and the later theory of domoic-acid poisoning.
The coincidence is almost impossible to ignore; and in August of 1961, the residents of Capitola certainly didn't need a movie screen to experience a nightmare involving birds.
They lived it.
