This is currently the first known newspaper article that refers to wild birds.
Philadelphia, August 13.
On the third Instant, about the Hour of 12 (at New-Garden in Chester,) there began a most Terrible, and Surprizing Whirl Wind, which took the Roof of a Barn and carried it into the Air, and scattered it about two Miles off, also a Mill that had a large quantity of Wheat in it, and has thrown it down and Removed the Mill-Stones! and took a Lath of the Barn, and carried it into the Air, which fell with such force that it stuck fast into a White Oake Stump, so that it is very hard to get it out, is also carried a Plow into the Air, and at the fall thereof, Pitch'd on the end of the Beam, and stuck into the Ground quite up to the Coulter, so that they were forced to dig it out, it killed a parcel of Geese, and three or four Hawks, which were found Dead about the Fields.
August 6 to August 13, 1724. American Weekly Mercury 243: 1. F used in typography of the era, has been replaced with the s to improve readability. One misspelling has been corrected.