In October 2022, Reddit users expressed admiration over what appeared to be drone video of a flock of birds flying through a dramatic-looking sky, first against a blue sky with clouds, then a sunset over temples.
As the Redditor who posted the video pointed out, the video originally came from another social media user, who posted the video to TikTok, where it had more context. The TikToker, Abigail Aquino, is a drone photographer with a track record for producing stunning shots.
The video above is two separate videos spliced together, which explains why the first is vertical and the second is horizontal. The first portion of the video was shot from the ground, likely using a cellphone camera, and shows birds flying toward the airborne drone, to the chagrin of the drone's owner.
"Any drone pilot's worse nightmare, birds," Aquino wrote.
But the moment of fright was worth it, apparently, because the second video, shot using the drone, shows a beautiful sunset over Bagan, Myanmar. It has been viewed millions of times:
Writing for the Philippines-based outlet SunStar, Aquino said she has been flying drones for photography after being inspired to do so during a trip to Hong Kong in 2017.