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Thunderbird Spotted

  • Thread starter Ozzy
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Ozzy

SirKristoff is a poopiehead
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Today I took a canoe trip on the Lockwood Folly river. I have a lot of pics, but I have one pic that is unbelievable.
As we turned a corner of the river a huge bird that was sitting on a limb took off and flew away. We were about 1000 ft from it and got a great look at it. My camera was in my backpack and it flew away as I took a pic of it.

I am almost certain that it's the legendary Thunderbird. In case you don't know what that is, here's an article on it.

Thunderbird


The bird was black, and roughly ostrich sized. Yes that's right, ostrich sized. It's wingspan was over 15 ft.

The proof is in this pic.


159592899O954329720.jpg


The full sized pic can be found here if you want to open a large pic.


Large pic


Tell me what you guys think.
 
I think it's a heron or stork or one of those other giant water fowl.
 
I can't tell, it's KINDA FAR away!
 
The fact that its that far away kind of shows how big of a wing span it has.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (0zzy @ Oct. 21 2006,9:43)]The fact that its that far away kind of shows how big of a wing span it has.
This is true...it is a big bird. I think it's a pteradactyll (sp?)
 
i think you forgot youre meds again ozzy!
 
The entire "thunderbird" thing is ludicrous (along with just about any other large, non-marine "cryptid" in the US). A bird of that size, especially a predatory one, would have to cover a *huge* area to feed itself, making it very easy to spot. Not to mention what it would eat; a bird that size would either be taking down some sizable prey (and getting noticed by ranchers who've lost sheep) or scavenging (and getting notices at carrion gatherings). And it would be doing those *regularly*, coupled with the fact that unless there's a population of at least a good thousand (any less and they'd died off from inbreeding depression and associated problems). Add to this that they're in the US, a highly civilized country with lots of air traffic (and yes, birds *do* show up on radar, especially 20-foot ones the size of a Cesna).

So unless it's a magic bird that lives in another dimension, the case for the thunderbird means a case for over a thousand giant, high-metabolism, very noticable soaring birds somehow going completely undetected as they cruise through highly trafficed airspace. Riiiiight.

Mokele
 
What month is it? Alright, so what if it isn't April yet...
smile_m_32.gif
 
ozzy Ive wised up compared to when I first joined the forums!
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  • #10
You pull a couple little April fools joke and all of a sudden nobody believes anything I say. The pic is there look at it. I can't say what exists or don't exist or make up theories to prove or disprove it's existence. I saw it (close up) and I got a pic as soon as I could get my camera out of my bag. You decide to believe what you want.

I guess nobody would believe that I caught a 5 ft snake, almost as big around as my arm today either. Even if I posted pics. Here's a little sample of the snake.

159627934O087821464.jpg


159628647O281036590.jpg




159627776O578926142.jpg


Maybe that snake don't exist either.

I'll have the whole story with pics written up in the article forums tomorrow. I probably made up the whole river trip anyway.
 
  • #11
look...0zzy we arent doubting what you saw...some people just wont believe. ive seen snakes as big as my arm here in kentucky...i think they are called cow suckers or cow snakes.
Alex
 
  • #12
They probably eat cows too huh?
 
  • #13
dead cows...i really cant se ANY single animal that would be able to take down a full sized cow....well...lions tigers and bears i guess could.
Alex
 
  • #14
There is a Thunderbird right outside my window.  Silver in color, fifteen feet long, 3,600 lbs. with 280 hp. I could take a pic if no one believes me.
 
  • #15
My wife & daughter saw a flock of thunderbirds this summer while visiting my mother-in-law in Vermont: flock of thunderbirds. I saw them a few times when I was a kid, so I'm pretty sure they're real.
 
  • #16
Hey guys,

Most cases of "thunderbird" sighting are easily explained as mis-identifications (storks, herons, large egals like golden or bald, I'm sure condors on occaison - even turkey vultures can look huge from the right perspective).

The problem with your photo, Ozzy, is that there is nothing for scale reference. Doesn't mean it's fake, but casts enough doubt to not count as proof.

For more stuff on thunderbird (and other cryptids) go cryptozoology

This is a pretty cool sight with lots of info on every cryptid you've ever heard of, and LOTS more you haven't.
 
  • #17
Ozzy IM just jokin, but it just doesnt seem very possible, like he said theirs no reference to the size of the bird in the picture... you cant tell how far away it is.
 
  • #18
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]The pic is there look at it.

I did. It's a Heron.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]I guess nobody would believe that I caught a 5 ft snake, almost as big around as my arm today either.

It's a rat snake, and you must have scrawny arms. I've seen adult diamondback rattlers that are only slightly thicker than my forearm.

[b said:
Quote[/b] ]0zzy we arent doubting what you saw...some people just wont believe.

Yeah, it's called "not being gullible". Which is more likely, that Ozzy mis-indetified something and mis-perceived its size, or that there are thosuands of 20 foot birds roaming through US airspace without being noticed.

Or maybe the thunderbird is a *stealth* thunderbird, eh?
smile_m_32.gif


Mokele
 
  • #19
I thought the forums have been a little lacking in excitement and debates lately.

I was looking through some of my pics from the river trip yesterday when I came across the pic I posted. Like somebody said there is nothing around it for a scale reference. I thought there would be a few people here that would fall for it. Maybe I'm losing my touch. We'll find out in about 5 months.

Here is the great Thunderbird a little closer up.

159625021O468748974.jpg
 
  • #20
MY GOD! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF IT!

So the Thunderbirds are real after all...

Ozzy, you really should've photoshopped the first pic a bit and given something for size reference-- like a small child dangling in its 'talons'!
 
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