Expert Trying To Identify Mysterious Bird in S. Texas

Torog

I-Team: Expert trying to identify mysterious bird flying around S. Texas


Web Posted: 11/16/2007 12:42 AM CST


Joe Conger
KENS 5 Eyewitness News

More sightings of a huge flying creature, originally reported by KENS, have prompted an investigation to determine if it is a monster or myth.
"Even though it was dark, the thing itself was black. The blackest I'd ever seen," said Frank Ramirez.
Years ago, Ramirez thought he was after a prowler in the back of his mother's Southwest Side home. But what greeted him on the garage rooftop still gives him goosebumps now.
"That's when the thing up there turned to me, and it was in a perched state, and it started to turn," he said. "It started to move its arms and this giant blackness was just coming out. At that point, I dropped the stick and I ran."
Ramirez sketched a drawing of the large, bird-like creature. The image is disturbing, and similar to dozens of sightings across San Antonio and South Texas.
"If you were to take a man's face and pull his chin down, just like a stretched face," said Ramirez.

More Coverage KENS Video: Sightings of mysterious giant bird continue
KENS Video: Expert trying to identify mysterious bird flying around S. Texas

"I was just terrified and as I was running. I just thought it was going to carry me off or something."
An earlier KENS story about a large, prehistoric-like bird drew more than 100,000 hits on MySanAntonio.com. More than a few people in San Antonio came forward to say they'd seen the creature, too.
One woman contacted KENS by e-mail, saying that because of our story, she now knows she's not crazy.
KENS caught up with cryptozoologist Ken Gerhard at the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.
Gerhard recently wrote a book,on the large, dark birds.
"When investigating mystery animals, it's important to point out that there are vast areas of land, even here in South Texas, that remain uninhabited," said Gerhard. "If an animal like big bird does exist, it certainly needs some habitat, somewhere to hide."
The Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge has 88,000 acres, and the marshes and prairies are home to 413 species of birds, but no flying pterodactyls.
"Raptors of all kinds, from hawks to falcons, come throughout. Our most common is the Harris Hawk, " said Park Ranger Stacy Sanchez.
But even Sanchez admits that blogs spiked with reports this summer of something.
"People were posting about a very large, raptor-like bird, and they were talking about an 18-to-20-foot wingspan. I don't know ... It's kind of a myth," said Sanchez.
Critics say where's the proof? Eyewitness testimony without a feather or other body of evidence leaves these stories as they are — just stories.
"We know that it's rare, and we know that this area's been pretty popular hangout in the past," said Gerhard.
Gerhard has been installing cameras in Harlingen, where Guadalupe Cantu wants his big bird sighting documented and validated.
Back in San Antonio, Ramirez has mounted an outdoor light to keep the creature at bay.
"I know what I saw. It took me more than a week to step out of this house. I wouldn't step foot out of this house," said Ramirez. "It had this very, very horrible demeanor-look on its face. Like I was lunch," he said.
On Nov. 21, Gerhard will be featured in a History Channel documentary called "Birdzilla."
Online at: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/kens5/iteam/stories/MYSA111507.bird.kens.7e017e4.html

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halffoot

Theres all sorts of giant bird like creatures floating around in popular folklore. The native americans had their thunderbirds, theres the famous mothman incident, and comparable old world legends of things like Roc's carrying off full grown elephants.

I got high one time and browsed the vast majority of the pages on cryptids on wikipedia... its interesting stuff.

vince_noir_rocknroll_star

and who`s to say its not a terydactyl? the japanese found ceolacanths in the depths of their oceans when it was said they had died out with the dinosaurs ...humans are too close minded to say for certain that such things dont exist

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halffoot

It'd be a lot easier for ceolocanths to exist without our knowledge than a terydactyl... I'm not saying its impossible, but we live on the land, and it only covers about a third of the earths surface, so we're much more knowledgeable about land and air creatures than we are about what lurks in the oceans depths, so the idea of us not discovering a creature that large would be somewhat unlikely. As I said though, anythings possible.

smokey

sounds just like the myth of a puma roaming some of the moors over here
the pics and footage of it is always blurred.
i think its quite possible for it to exist without our knowledge

peace

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vince_noir_rocknroll_star

every year over 1500 new species of animals /insects /invertabrates are discovered around the world ,maybe one day teradactyls will be re-discovered ..who knows ...and then there the more cryptozooalogical creatures that have yet to be found ...theres a whole shitload of landmass that still hasnt been explored ..i like to think that theres a place for teradactyls on this earth along with all of the other cryptozooalogical creatures of mythology ...anyone tried feeding them stale bread yet ...or is it only the recent phenomenon of flying people that eat that stuff

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