December 2022, Flagler Beach, Florida.

I was on the beach with two other adult family members, looking east out over the ocean. We observed what initially appeared to be a flock of birds, but quickly noticed they were moving at an unusually high speed. From our perspective, the objects appeared to be roughly a quarter mile offshore and far enough away that we could not make out any defining characteristics typical of birds.

All three of us found the formation, movement, and speed unusual and atypical enough to record a short video before they were too far away as they continued down the coastline. While the most likely explanation may be a group of birds being carried by strong winds or jet-stream conditions, we are interested in hearing additional opinions or alternative explanations.

We are back at the beach now, and seeing a normal flock of birds flying over the water reminded me of this video.

Attached is the raw video file from an iPhone.

Looks like a flock of birds. Watch the footage closely on a decent size screen and you can see what are almost certainly wings beating.

As you say, they might be getting a bit of a wind assist, they appear to be moving pretty fast, but I don't think there's anything extraordinary going on. Some bird species are very adept at exploiting air currents.

Unlikely that jet streams are playing a direct role, they're normally a much higher altitude phenomenon:

External Quote:

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, The Jet Stream https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/global/jet-stream

External Quote:

Met Office (UK) https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/learn-about/weather/types-of-weather/wind/what-is-the-jet-stream