07-20-2017, 04:13 AM
(This post was last modified: 07-20-2017, 04:18 AM by Spirit Scribe.
Edit Reason: Forgot something
)
Well... I'm not certain just what I saw, but after eliminating several things, I can't help but wonder...
The first time I saw it I thought maybe it was a heron. We have a lot of them in East TN; blue, gray, even white... that didn't sound right so I thought maybe a pelican. I ruled that out because of the head that I was watching disappear rapidly in the distance. Then I thought maybe one of those super large flying foxes, because you know people smuggle exotic pets in all the time and then turn them loose when they get too big. It startled me so much and I was trying so hard to figure out what I was looking at, that I forgot I had my phone in my hand. If I'd had any sense I might have got a picture of it, but oh well.
The second and last time i saw it, it was flying overhead as I was driving home one evening. I was driving through an area that has a little gap in the tree tops and I noticed quickly that it was not a normal bird. It just flaps differently... constantly, not really fast or slow, it just... looks funny. It was long gone by the time i got home, and I haven't seen it since. I will add that the first time I saw it, it was flying about 60-80 feet high.
What I saw was black, had a short or almost non-existent tail and wide wings (both of which leans toward the flying fox theory), and the head was narrow looking. Both times I've seen it at an angle, not really accommodating for a good description I'm afraid. I'd say maybe a six foot wing span. Another thought on the tail - it could be that it's been too hard to see the tail at the distance I was from it, or maybe the angle, but I should have seen the ball shape at the end if I was seeing a pterodactyl.
I just noticed the OP said it was seen silhouetted against the night sky... both times I've seen this thing it was broad daylight, but later in the evening, maybe 8 or so in the summer, because it was cooler but not dark yet.
The first time I saw it I thought maybe it was a heron. We have a lot of them in East TN; blue, gray, even white... that didn't sound right so I thought maybe a pelican. I ruled that out because of the head that I was watching disappear rapidly in the distance. Then I thought maybe one of those super large flying foxes, because you know people smuggle exotic pets in all the time and then turn them loose when they get too big. It startled me so much and I was trying so hard to figure out what I was looking at, that I forgot I had my phone in my hand. If I'd had any sense I might have got a picture of it, but oh well.
The second and last time i saw it, it was flying overhead as I was driving home one evening. I was driving through an area that has a little gap in the tree tops and I noticed quickly that it was not a normal bird. It just flaps differently... constantly, not really fast or slow, it just... looks funny. It was long gone by the time i got home, and I haven't seen it since. I will add that the first time I saw it, it was flying about 60-80 feet high.
What I saw was black, had a short or almost non-existent tail and wide wings (both of which leans toward the flying fox theory), and the head was narrow looking. Both times I've seen it at an angle, not really accommodating for a good description I'm afraid. I'd say maybe a six foot wing span. Another thought on the tail - it could be that it's been too hard to see the tail at the distance I was from it, or maybe the angle, but I should have seen the ball shape at the end if I was seeing a pterodactyl.
I just noticed the OP said it was seen silhouetted against the night sky... both times I've seen this thing it was broad daylight, but later in the evening, maybe 8 or so in the summer, because it was cooler but not dark yet.