VIDEO: Watch as flocks of birds mimic Hitchcock horror film in village near Horsham

The comparison has been sparked after a resident in Southwater raised questions after hearing hundreds of birds in woodland near Dover Close and Cedar Drive.

She said she thought they were crows and described the noisy birds as ‘creepy.’ And her views sparked a debate after she posted them on social media. She asked if there were any issues with the birds because there were so many of them and added: Could they pose a risk to pets or even humans?

Local mum Amanda Thornton managed to video some of the flocks – thought by most to be jackdaws. “I was collecting my children from the Southwater Infant Academy and they were so excited,” she said. “The birds made a few circling formations it was something I had never seen before.”

Another villager said: “They are quite a sight – and a sound. They are definitely Jackdaws, which makes the group a 'clattering’.” He said they had roosted in the northern end of the village for years.

Another said: “We always wait for the flyover! I love seeing the jackdaws. Sometimes it is a bit like ‘The Birds’ but they mean no harm.”

And another added: “They roost in the woods behind our daughter’s house in Timber Mill and there are probably one hundred or more that arrive each evening.”

A fellow resident pointed out: “They don't pose any threat to our pets. With our cars and modern homes we lack the regular contact and knowledge of our interconnectedness so some wild birds/animal can seem scary till you get to know about them.”

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The RSPB says of jackdaws: “Whilst they may not be quite as stunning as a starling murmuration, jackdaws are also known to swirl in large flocks over towns and villages on their way to roost in a nearby copse or woodland. These gatherings are for socialisation and for safety.”

The film of The Birds was a 1963 American horror-thriller produced and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It was loosely based on a story of the same name by Daphne du Maurier. it focuses on a series of sudden and unexplained violent bird attacks on a community in California over the course of a few days.