 |
|||
|
Report
Received From: The GCBRO Online Report
Submission Form.
Report
Posted To GCBRO Web Site On: February
1, 2007
DATE:
This occurred sometime between summer of 1985-summer of 1986. I can't recall
the exact time of year, but know it was warm (not a lot of help for south
Texas).
TIME:
Evening
LOCATION:
Bexar County, Texas. I was living in an apartment complex in NW San
Antonio, TX, at the time.
TERRAIN:
N/A
OBSERVED:
One night, my brother and I - both adults - were outside just talking,
something we did frequently. We noticed some large creature just Huebner,
flying very close above the utility wires along the road. The creature
was large, at least six feet, though I believe it was more like 8-10 feet
in wingspan. I know it was larger than any buzzard we had seen, and those
can be big in Texas. Also, the shape was unlike any bird of prey that I
have ever seen. This thing flew, or glided, back & forth over the wires
for at least ten minutes while we watched. neither of us could recall exactly
how long we observed this thing. The shape seemed more bat-like than bird-like,
though that isn't right either. In later years, after reading about pterosaur
sightings, and recalling this thing, that description seems most like what
we saw. Being avid zoo-goers, and having seen many water birds, I can state
that this was none of those with certainty. The flight patterns were wrong,
as was the shape. One thing about this creature; whatever it was, it seemed
to be watching us, and we both were very creeped out by the whole thing.
There was a very real sense of threat from this creature, and I firmly
believe that, had we stayed outside for too much longer, we might have
been attacked by the thing. Perhaps all that prevented this was that there
were two of us; I don't know. I have read other reports of pterosaur sightings
that inspired a similar fear, and while no one can explain this, it reinforces
my belief that this is what we saw. While I would love for proof of these
things to be found, I don't know if I ever want to see another one.
Activities
of Witness: We were outside
that night simply to look at stars and talk. This was a practice
that was pretty regular with us, that we shared (and no doubt inherited
from, our dad). We were often outside at night till the wee hours
of the morning, and quite used to all the normal nocturnal activities for
that area. Bats were never any problem for us, either. I can
remember more than one night when my dad and I would chuckle at the bats,
because we would hear a mosquito quite close to an ear, and then it would
be gone, and the other person would often catch a very quick glimpse of
a bat-blur nabbing the pest. Needless to say, this was welcome, and
not in the least scary. I wasn't even spooked upon seeing a cougar
hop off the carport across the alley one night, where it had been observing
me for some time unseen. Surprised, but not spooked, as it clearly
wasn't a threat at that point, and simply went its way. This flying
thing , though, was truly menacing.
Description
of Creature: As for further description,
we were unable to see a lot of the head, due to the low level of lighting
at that time, and the location where the thing was flying. The head
did stick out further than that of most any of the raptors, except for
buzzards, and the shape was off for those. The wing shape seems closest
to pictures of the pterosaurs, sloping the way they are drawn. The
wings did not seem as narrow-looking as would those of a heron or stork,
nor was the behavior correct for those birds. Both my brother and
I did consider the possibility that this was some really big bird loose
from the zoo (or some other location) and far from home, but the shape
and behavior simply did not support this hypothesis. The creature
flew mostly back and forth, going one way, the turning and going back the
other, and seemed to be looking our direction for most of the gliding.
There was not a lot of wing movement, such as you find with herons and
cranes. I lived in Florida for some years since that time, and while
there had the opportunity to see all sorts of water birds on a very regular
basis. I never saw one flying like this thing did, nor were any of
them ever threatening. The area of this sighting was also urban,
and there was no place for any sort of nest; if there had been, that could
have explained the threat behavior. This was a pretty dry area in
general, though, and large water birds were not seen there.
Other
Notes: N/A
Other
(Informational or Encounter History in the General Area) Notes:
N/A
Additional
Notes and or Follow up Comments:
N/A
| |
|||
|