Profiling Stan Gordon

If you have followed the work of researcher/writer Stan Gordon - and particularly so his excellent book, Silent Invasion, which addresses a wealth of truly high-strangeness in relation to Bigfoot - you will want to read this new piece on Stan's work, which provides some excellent insight.

The Terror Tower

On England's Cannock Chase woods, stands a tower of terror. It is one populated by a bizarre menagerie of strange beasts. And if that has caught your attention, for more information, click right here...

The Lone Star State Bigfoot

Over at the My San Antonio site, there's an excellent new feature that profiles various Texas-based Bigfoot researchers, as well as their work, findings and theories on the legendary beast. Here's the link.

Unbelievable: A Monstrously Good Tale!

Unless someone shoots a Bigfoot, or a Nessie washes up on the shore of Loch Ness in the next few days, this will likely be my final post before the holidays. Fortunately, the subject matter is a very good one!

Available right now is a brand new graphic novel written and illustrated by a friend of mine who lives in Wales: Simon Wyatt. Its title is Unbelievable: The Man Who Ate Daffodils.

If you have read my book, The Real Men in Black, you will have seen Simon's artwork contained within its pages. Specifically, the drawings of two Men in Black and of the legendary Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia.

So, with that said, what is Simon's book all about? Well, I'll tell you! And probably the best way for me to do that is by including here the Foreword I wrote for Simon's book, and which reads as follows:

"Not only is Simon Wyatt a highly-skilled artist and a gifted story-teller with a fine imagination, he's also a mate. And so, when Simon asked me if I would be willing to write a foreword for his latest mighty, monstrous tome, my answer was a quick and enthusiastic 'Yes!'

"So, after a copy of the manuscript made its way across the Atlantic to my home in Dallas, Texas, I sat down on what was an appropriately dark, stormy and windswept night to read Simon's story. And, I'm very pleased that I did!

"Simon has skilfully weaved together a swirling tale of magical, Gothic, cryptozoological and sinister proportions that rather reminds me of a perfect combination of those classic old Hammer horror-films of the late 1950s and 1960s; The Hound of the Baskervilles; Primeval; Scooby-Doo; The Secret Seven; and a good old adventure tale of the type that are sorely missed today. And all told in Simon's own unique style and brand, too, of course.

"Hideous killer-beasts roaming around the darkened, shadowy streets of a small Welsh town; creepy and eccentric characters with black secrets and hidden agendas; a few adventurous kids who are at the heart of the puzzle; fantastic myths and tales of centuries past; and much more all combine to create a suspense-filled story that will appeal to anyone and everyone with an appreciation of all-things weird and ominously atmospheric.

"Part-detective story, part-monster hunt, and part-whodunit, the story Simon tells will keep you entertained right up to (and including, of course!) the absolute last page.

"And the very good news is that more volumes - and more dark goings-on - are destined to follow! Keep 'em coming, Si!"

And, if that has caught your attention (and hopefully it has!), here's a bunch of links where you can find more about Simon's work, his new book, Unbelievable, and how and where to purchase your very own copies. Click on the links for all the info:

Markosia's Website listing and order details: http://www.markosia.com/wordpress/titles/unbelievable-the-man-who-ate-daffodilis/

A review by Starburst magazine: http://www.starburstmagazine.com/reviews/comic-reviewscomics-a-graphic-novels/1098-comic-review-unbelievable-the-man-who-ate-daffodils-by-simon-wyatt

Free preview: http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=91245

Official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Unbelievable-The-Man-Who-Ate-Daffodils/227365990640745?sk=wall&filter=12

And last but not least, Simon's blog, StrangelyDrawn; http://simonwyatt.blogspot.com/

Offline/Online/Offline/Online Etc, Etc...

Due to the Christmas season, work, deadlines etc etc, posts may be intermittent-to-zero here until the New Year, so I'll take this opportunity wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and a happy and healthy 2012!

Brad Steiger's The Werewolf Book Reviewed

Over at the Magonia blog, you can find a good, new review of Brad Steiger's The Werewolf Book. Check it out!

The Yeti and the Government

Now and again, stories surface within the realm of Cryptozoology concerning official interest in, and secret knowledge of, hairy man-beasts, such as Bigfoot and the Abominable Snowman. And, now, as Loren Coleman notes over at Cryptomundo, there's a a fascinating development in this curious saga...

Fortean Fiction

This is very good news: the Center for Fortean Zoology has set up yet another publishing company (alongside CFZ Press and Fortean Words). The new one is called Fortean Fiction and, as its name suggests, it's solely dedicate to publishing novels on matters of a Fortean nature.

You can find out all about Fortean Fiction at this link at the CFZ's blog, including a new title from the CFZ's Richard Freeman, and a title on the Loch Ness Monster.

Top Cryptozoological Books of 2011

Over at Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman provides us with info and images on his favorite cryptozoological books of 2011, and also gives us some insight into what's coming next year. In fact, 2012 looks to be an excellent year for crypto-titles!

Here's the link.

Bigfoot/Chupacabra Secrecy

A couple of days ago, I made mention here of my new book from New Page Books(Keep Out!), and noted that it contains a number of stories relative to Cryptozoology, including one on Bigfoot and another on the Chupacabra.

You can find out more about these two weird accounts - that combine Cryptozoology and conspiracies in truly controversial fashion - in a new post from me at the New Page Books blog.

Creature Secrets

My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com: Creatures, conspiracies, secrets and more...

Sky Beasts

Over at his Shuker Nature blog, Dr. Karl Shuker has an excellent new post on the theory - most famously suggested by Trevor James Constable - that some UFOs may actually be unknown forms of life in their own right. The whole "Sky Beast" mystery is a fascinating one, and if you aren't aware of it, check out Karl's post, which makes for great reading!

Strange Creatures and Keep Out!

Area 51, Hangar 18, the Montauk facility, and the Dulce Base.

These are just a few of the select, highly classified installations about which governments prefer that we, the general public, remain steadfastly ignorant.

And those same governments have excellent reasons for wishing us to remain in the dark. It is at these secret facilities that for decades clandestine research has reportedly been undertaken into crashed UFOs, deceased alien entities, bizarre creatures and unknown animals, lethal viruses, biological warfare, mind-control experimentation, and much, much more.

Whether situated deep under the oceans, far below the ground, or within the heart of remote, fortified desert locales, these and many other super-secret places are guarded with a near-paranoid zeal by those in power who wish to keep their secrets buried and locked far away from prying eyes.

And you can find all the information in my new book, Keep Out!, published right now by New Page Books.

But, why, you may ask, am I promoting my new book at this, my Cryptozoology-themed blog?

Simple: the book contains a number of stories of a crypto-nature that are linked to secret installations.

Stories of Sasquatch, the Chupacabra, big cats, cave-dwelling monsters and more are all part and parcel of Keep Out!

The Bigfoot Filmography

Coming in January: The Bigfoot Filmography by David Coleman.

Here's the blurb for the book, which I'm sure most Bigfoot enthusiasts will want to get their hands on:

"The 'Sasquatch' film genre, devoted to the legendary and notoriously elusive creature also known as Bigfoot, and its Himalayan counterpart, the Yeti, is the focus of this illustrated reference guide. Here is a fascinatingly detailed look at the cinematic history of Sasquatch, from the earliest trick films of Georges Melies to the most up-to-date CGI efforts. Critical insights regarding the genre's development are offered, along with an exhaustively researched filmography that includes every known film or television appearance of Sasquatch, Bigfoot and Yeti in both fictitious and documentary formats. Included are in-depth interviews with such filmmakers as Kevin Tenney, Adam Muto, Ryan Schifrin, Tim Skousen and Michael Worten, as well as reproductions of rare movie stills, posters, lobby cards and behind-the-scenes production photos. Renowned cryptozoologist Loren Coleman provides an insightful foreword to the text."

The Winged Fiend of Winona

A couple of years ago I headed up to Winona, Minnesota to investigate sightings of a Mothman-type beast said to be roaming around the area.

Certainly the most notable report came from a few locals who had heard a strange, years-old story of a giant, winged fiend perched atop this specific high peak that overlooks the town.

Monster-bird? Flying Humanoid? Spectral Pterodactyl?

I have no idea, and certainly the people telling the story were just as puzzled, too.

But, if you ever want to hit the road in search of winged monsters, Winona may be the place to go!

Cryptozoology and the Police

This looks to be an interesting read: The Police and the Paranormal by Andrew Owens. Put out by the Center for Fortean Zoology's Fortean Words publishing company, it contains (as you'll see from the press-release below) a number of cases in which police officers have investigated, or been witness to, cryptozoological creatures.

Here's the press-release from the CFZ's Jon Downes:

Police officers are widely regarded as amongst the most highly credible of eyewitnesses. And yet here they risk professional ridicule by revealing their otherworldly encounters with things that shouldn’t exist - but do.

They include:

* Crime Scene Investigators sift through the grisly remains of Cattle Mutilations and Spontaneous Human Combustion - and reach some startling conclusions;

* A Constable is hypnotised to recount his alien abduction;

* Detectives enlist psychics to help crack murder cases;

* Patrols see panthers and pumas at close quarters;

* A Detective reports the longest-ever sighting of Nessie;

* Officers’ close encounters of the first kind, second kind, third kind and deadly kind

Gathered together for the first time, this unique collection of true-life encounters between the police and the paranormal is utterly compelling and highly believable, suggesting that the long arm of the law extends way beyond this world and into the next.

Nessie: The Grant Affair

Over at Cryptomundo, Loren Coleman addresses the controversial 1930s story of Arthur Grant, who claimed a very close encounter with a Loch Ness Monster. True or false, we'll probably never know with 100 percent certainty, but it's an intriguing story, nevertheless...

Orang-Pendek in Print

Right now, the Center for Fortean Zoology's Richard Freeman has a new book out on Sumatra's Orang-Pendek. You can find out more about the book at my latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com. Here's the link. If you want to learn all about the Orang Pendek, this is definitely the book for you!

The End Of An Era

Sad news: the Chase Post newspaper, which covered the sprawling, creature-infested Cannock Chase woods of Staffordshire, England is no more.

Yep, after decades of publication, it has finally closed its doors.

Aside from the most unfortunate thing - a significant loss of jobs - the closure of the Post will mean that a key outlet for breaking stories on sightings of big-cats, Bigfoot-style entities, werewolves, and unusual water-based beasts, on the Cannock Chase will be no more.

I have a lot of good memories of the Post, particularly when in 1999-2001 me and Irene Bott, formerly of the Staffordshire UFO Group, wrote a regular, weekly column for the newspaper called The C-Files.

It was that particular column which prompted a lot of eye-witnesses to crypto-creatures on the Cannock Chase to come forward.

Here's wishing editor Mike Lockley and the rest of the team all the very best for the future.

Horses of Horror

Did you ever wonder what might happen if a real-life zombie-virus broke out across the planet, and it spread to the animal population? Well, it might go something like the following!

The latest episode of Tim Binnall's Binnall of America tells a truly strange story of horse-based horror!

And here's Tim himself to tell you more...

CuChullaine O'Reilly, Deadly Equines: The Shocking True Story of Meat-Eating and Murderous Horses, 2 Hours, 24 Minutes:

Traveling down a truly unique and fringe road, BoA:Audio welcomes equestrian researcher and long rider CuChullaine O'Reilly for a discussion on his groundbreaking book Deadly Equines: The Shocking True Story of Meat-Eating and Murderous Horses.

Over the course of this two hour adventure, we'll discuss CuChullaine's powerful case for meat-eating horses, including historical accounts from ancient and contemporary times, the collective 'equestrian amnesia' that has befallen the 'civilized world,' and the reaction to his research from the equestrian community.

Plus, we'll discuss murderous horses, a separate, but equally bizarre anomaly that CuChullaine has uncovered. Along the way, we'll also spend considerable time discussing the mind-bending world of long riding.

Fascinating, enlightening, and awe-inspiring, this conversation is a proverbial 'long ride' of esoteric insights on both equines and humans with the remarkable CuChullaine O'Reilly.

A Monstrous Beginning

We all have to start somewhere!

Sahar Dimus RIP

It's with sadness this evening that we learn of the death of the expert tracker Sahar Dimus.

Richard Freeman writes these words:

February 3rd 1969- November 14th 2011

I first met Sahar in 2003 on the first of my trips to Sumatra in search of the orang-pendek. He was to be our chief guide and had been personally recommended by Debbie Martyr. I was surprised upon meeting him at hoe unassuming he was. A smiling, be-spectacled little man he could have easily passed for an accountant if dressed in a suit. A great example of how looks can be deceptive Sahar was a master of bushcraft and the most impressive guide I ever had in the jungle. He could tell what animal had passed and how long ago simply by the slightest disturbance of leaves that no one else would have noticed. He was immensely strong and fit and could carry huge weights up the steepest and most treacherous hills like an ant carrying a leaf up an anthill.

Not only that, he was a tiger shaman. His people held the tiger as a sacred animal, according to their tribal tradition the man who founded their tribe lived to a huge age before walking into the jungle and becoming a tiger. Tiger shaman are supposed to be able to call down the tiger spirit in tribal ceremonies. They are said to be able to look through the eyes of the tiger, observing far off things in the jungle and to become possessed by its spirit. Debbie herself had witnessed this and seen the happy, inoffensive Sahar turn into a feral, snarling dervish unrecognizable as himself.

He proved not only to be a great guide in the jungle but a great friend too. He was patient with slow bumbling westerners who found the terrain hard and the food harder. He held us spellbound around camp fires with stories of the jungle and the experiences of both himself and his late farther. He was a mine of information on both Sumatran folklore and wildlife.

So good was Sahar that we used him as chief guide all of the CFZ expeditions to Sumatra. We often stayed in his house at the foot of Gunung-Tuju with his lovely wife Lucy and his sons. Over our many trips we watched them grow up. His eldest Raffles was training to become a guide and accompanied us on our last expedition.

Sahar had lived and worked in the jungle for 14 years and had come across orang-pendek tracks and heard its call but never saw the creature until 2009 when he and Dave Archer encountered the creature in the clod forests of Gunung-Tuju. After the sighting he wept for a quarter of an hour due to the fact that he had no camera to capture an image of the beast on. Plans were afoot in 2011 to plant permanent camera traps in Kerinci Sablat National Park and had to pay Sahar to check the pictures each month.

On our last trip he seemed a little tired and slower than usual. His leg was hurting him. We all thought that in was nothing but age catching up with him and the rough terrain. I came home from the Fortean Times Unconvention 2011 to the news Sahar had died on 11th of November. He had been taken ill and was unable to walk. He was taken to hospital were apparently he was finding it hard to recognize people. He died shortly afterwards of what appears to be liver failure.

To me Sahar was Sumatra. He was just as much a part of Kerinci National Park as the lake, the mountain and the jungle. Sumatra and Sahar Dimus are inextricably linked in my mind; they are one in the same. Now he has gone it feels like a piece of Sumatra has died. The island can and will never be the same. He leaves behind him four children and a wife.

Goodbye old friend.

Sahar Dimus: Jungle guide, tiger shaman, orang-pendek witness and researcher.

The 1928 Devil-Bat

Andrew Gable has alerted me to a strange tale from years long-gone - 1928 to be precise - of a weird "Devil-Bat"-type beast that seems to possess certain, distinct Jersey Devil-style overtones. Here's the link.

Gunning for the Goat-Man

My various quests to seek out the devilish Goat-Man of Denton, Texas...

The Tahoe Terror

In a new post at the Center for Fortean Zoology blog, Richard Freeman tells the story of the creature of Lake Tahoe. Rich begins as follows:

"At 1,645ft deep, Lake Tahoe ranks as the world's 10th deepest lake. It is, by volume, the 26th largest lake in the world. It is 22 miles long and 12 miles wide, and was formed about 2 million years ago. Eight creeks run into the lake. Its primary outflow is the Truckee River that runs into Pyramid Lake (also known for monster sightings) and into the Great Basin.

"Legends of this creature first began to surface in the mid-1800s, when members of the Washoe and Paiute Indian tribes began to tell the white settlers about the 'monster' dwelling in the depths of the Tahoe basin.

"It has been described by eyewitnesses as being over 15-80ft long, with an undulating, serpentine body, thick as a barrel and with smooth, dark skin. In modern times it has been given the nickname Tahoe Tessie."

And here's the link to Rich's complete post.

Chasing the Dragon

My latest Mysterious Universe post: Chasing the Dragon...

On The Track - The Latest

The new edition of the Center for Fortean Zoology's regular, monthly journal of the visual kind - On the Track - is now available. And here it is!

Young children, those of a nervous disposition, and old cronies beware: this episode includes a section in which Jon Downes sings. The words from the 1986 version of The Fly, "Be afraid, be very afraid," have never been more apt...

Polling Nessie

Well, the results are in on my poll concerning the nature of the beasts of Loch Ness, Scotland. And they make for interesting reading!

More than a quarter of all those who took part in the poll suggested that sightings of Nessie could be accounted for by hoaxes and mis-identification of down-to-earth phenomena of a non-monstrous nature.

A full twenty-five percent believed the animals to be surviving pockets of plesiosaurs, while six percent opted for the giant-eel theory.

The majority, however, concluded that the Loch Ness Monsters are real, but represent animals presently unknown. And just over one in ten were of the opinion that the creatures have paranormal origins.

So, all in all, an interesting set of conclusions on what those interested in Cryptozoology really think about one of the world's most famous monsters.

There will be another poll later this week, so I encourage you to vote!

Mystery Animals of London - In Print!

Excellent news: Neil Arnold's new book, Mystery Animals of the British Isles: London, has just been published by CFZ Press.

If you're in the UK, you can buy the book right here, and if you're in the US, click on this link.

And, here's the press-release that accompanies this must-buy title, which runs to more than 400-packed pages:






MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: LONDON
A Book By Neil Arnold

PRESS RELEASE

Roll up, roll up! For the monster mystery tour, step right this way. Read all about, read all about it, panic on the streets of London!

For many centuries the streets, sewer systems, skies, waters, and darkest corners of the capital have been inhabited by strange creatures. Some folklore, some fact.

MYSTERY ANIMALS OF…LONDON, a new, richly illustrated, fully indexed 385 page volume written by full-time monster hunter Neil Arnold, published by CFZ Press, is a unique surreal safari through the concrete jungle of London, which explores a menagerie of the strange, creatures cast from the Ark, half-hinted and yet persistent in their presence.

Recoil in horror at tales concerning elusive ‘big cats’ on the prowl through London’s leafy suburbs, with yarns pertaining to the ‘beast of Sydenham’, the lioness of Winchmore Hill, the Edgware tiger, and the classic Surrey puma - a long-lasting mystery which Neil proves may well have its origins centuries previous to the 1960s flap which made national headlines.

And then there are the abominable animals said to lurk in the depths of the River Thames and other London rivers, ponds and lakes, from tales of alligators, crocodiles, piranha, snapping turtles and even sharks, to grim legends of monster rats, slithering snakes and serpents.

And don’t forget the aerial oddities, with weird tales of giant birds in the skies over London – eagles, parakeets and monstrous griffins and dragons.

MYSTERY ANIMALS OF…LONDON looks at creaky old tales of animals escaping from private menageries, zoo parks and circuses. And then there are the monsters of the mind, for instance, the case of Hampstead’s phantom ape, the spectral bears of Chelsea, frothing hellhounds at Newgate, a ghostly chicken…yes, you read it correct!

And who could forget the ripping yarns pertaining to mermaids, Spring-Heeled Jack, glowing lions, flying jellyfish, birds of death, the London Underground man-beast, the Stratford Goatman, fairies, hellish horses and the case of the Highgate ‘vampire’.

An essential read on a foggy night for any monster-hunter, historian, paranormal enthusiast or general fan of the macabre and the mysterious.

Priced £15.00 from Amazon and all good book shops, MYSTERY ANIMALS OF THE BRITISH ISLES: LONDON, where the wild things are…dare you venture forth on this expedition of the extraordinary and lift the lid on London’s ludicrous and most devilish denizens ?

ISBN 978-1-905723-71-3

Loren Coleman on Binnall of America

This just in from Tim Binnall, host of Binnall of America:

Loren Coleman, An In-Depth Conversation on Cryptozoology, 1 Hour, 51 Minutes:

Here's Tim himself to tell you more:

Making his long-awaited return to BoA:Audio, the iconic Loren Coleman joins us for an in-depth and richly arrayed conversation about cryptozoology.

We'll talk about Loren's amazing International Cryptozoology Museum and have a lengthy discussion on Bigfoot as well as the state of Bigfoot research.

We'll also cover a veritable menagerie of cryptids including the Orang Pendek, Yeti, the Loch Ness Monster, Champ, Ogopogo, the Montauk Monster, Alien Big Cats, Chupacabras, Thunderbirds and even the Tazelwurm.

It's a conversation which spans the pantheon of cryptozoology's most famous and infamous creatures with the legendary Loren Coleman.

Real Nightmares!

Yep, another one for Halloween: at my regular Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com, I have just reviewed Vol's 1 and 2 of Brad Steiger's latest release: Real Nightmares, an e-book-based series that, as well as covering all things ghostly and paranormal, will be of deep interest to fans of cryptozoology.

Werewolves, Bigfoot, weird snakes and more - they're all in here!

And here's the link to the review.

The Stone Werewolf

Over at my "Pics of the Day" blog, I tell the strange story of the stone werewolf of Texas. Definitely one for Halloween!

Boggy Creek - A Book!

This is great news: early next year, Anomalist Books will be publishing Lyle Blackburn's book, The Beast of Boggy Creek: The True Story of the Fouke Monster.

It's about time that we get to read a full-length, definitive study of one of the United States' most legendary man-beasts!

I've met Lyle on several occasions - most recently when me, Ken Gerhard and Craig Woolheater hung out on a Sunday night in the cool house in which Lyle and his wife Sandy live, which is an incredible shrine to all-things monstrous!

Lyle is also the singer in an excellent band called Ghoultown, whose Life After Sundown CD I'll be reviewing shortly.

The picture above shows Lyle at the Oklahoma-based Cryptid Fest that me and Ken Gerhard spoke at in September.

Profiling The Man-Monkey

Once again, I'm dissecting Britain's most notorious Bigfoot-like entity - the Man-Monkey of the Shropshire Union Canal. Okay, when I say dissecting, I don't mean literally! I mean investigating! But you know that, right? Right...?

Monstrous Ghosts?

Why are so many cryptozoological beasts so elusive (in fact, consistently elusive)?

Could it be that what we are dealing with - in some cases, at least - not living animals at all, but the ghostly forms of long-dead, or long-extinct, creatures?

Whether you agree with such a controversial scenario or not, it's the subject of my latest post over at Mysterious Universe.

Chupacabra Synchronicity

A case of mere coincidence, or an odd occurrence of Chupacabra-style synchronicity?

Real Nightmares: A New Series

This is excellent news! Visible Ink Press have just unleashed a new project from macabre-master Brad Steiger.

Titled Real Nightmares: True and Truly Scary Unexplained Phenomena, it's a monthly series of e-books covering a wide range of paranormal topics, including strange creatures.

I'll be reviewing the first two editions of Real Nightmares next week at my Reviews of the Mysterious Kind blog.

But, in the meantime, you can find out all about Real Nightmares at this link at Visible Ink Press.

And, of course, you can purchase the books at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and all numerous other good book sellers.

Monster Vs. UFO!

What it is the connection between a flying monster and the world's most famous UFO event? Read on...!

A Hexham Heads Appeal

The strange saga of what have become known as the Hexham Heads is legendary within British Fortean circles.

Not only that, it's also a tale with definitive werewolf-style overtones attached to it.

And for those wishing to learn more about this curious story - that began in 1972, or much earlier depending on with who you speak - check out an excellent paper on the subject by Paul Screeton, which can be found in his book I reviewed a couple of months ago, I Fort The Lore.

But, there's more to come - and it's great news too!

Paul is in the process of writing a full-length book on the Hexham Heads, which is to be published next year.

And, of course, whenever an author digs into a decades-old saga, there are inevitably leads to chase down, and people to find.

Which brings me to the point of this blog-post - an appeal from Paul, which I will let him relate in his own words.

Over to Paul:

This appeal is self-contained but stems from a posting on the 'Forteana' forum. It featured a 1982 foray into New Scientist by Dr Don Robins, an inorganic chemist associated with The Dragon project. Anyone know where Don is in 2011?

Ah, earth energies and the mystery that dare not speak its name - ley power!

Dr Don Robins, a blast from the past. I'm researching the Hexham Heads mystery and the role this inorganic chemist played in the saga. I knew Don quite well and after a The Ley Hunter mag moot, had a drink with him and his buddy at Jack Straw's Castle pub, Hampstead.

We also corresponded and at one stage Don requested a sliver from a pseudo-archaic head which had been made by a local Hexham man, Des Craigie, in response to Celtic scholar Dr Anne Ross's challenge that if he, Des, had made the original Hexham Heads, as he claimed, she wanted to see him repeat the feat.

Oddly the three demonstration models only resembled the originals in the later form (after a geologist had butchered their tenons for analysis).

When everyone else believed the originals had been sent back to Newcastle University Museum of Antiquities and from there returned to their owners, the Robson family, who (re?) discovered them, Dr Ross pulled out a box in her study and handed them over to Don Robins, who she had just met. Ross and Robins went on to collaborate on a book and subsequently fell out big time.

Don never sent a report into his findings and wrote in an Alpha mag piece that he had loaned the idols to Frank Hyde, an astrologer, for tests and Hyde had been involved in a car crash and seriously injured.

I have been unable to trace Hyde nor the whereabouts of the original heads. I am also trying to track a mysterious figure called Wild or Wilde, supposedly married to an African princess, who collected Celtic artifacts and who met Dr Ross 30 or so years ago.

Lastly, I have lost touch with Don, who I believe may now be in the US? I would appreciate any leads to find any of those mentioned (except Dr Ross, with whose son I have been in recent contact), particularly Don.

Paul Screeton.

Note from Nick: If you can help Paul re the above (and, indeed, on just about any aspect of the Hexham Heads puzzle), he welcomes your emails. You can reach him at: screetonpaul@yahoo.co.uk

Puerto Rican Vampirism?

Over at my "peculiar pictures" blog (not its real name, but it will suffice!), you can find a new story - and accompanying photo, of course - from me on one of the many bizarre experiences I have had on Puerto Rico while searching for the Chupacabra.

Black Dogs & Ball Lightning

My latest Lair of the Beasts post at Mania.com - on black dogs and ball-lightning...

Goat-Man Weirdness!

My latest article for Mysterious Universe - on the controversy surrounding Lake Worth, Texas' Goat-Man...

Monster Memoirs Vs Monster Memoirs

I notice that Josh Gates - of TV's Destination Truth - has a book out. Its title: Destination Truth: Memoirs of a Monster Hunter.

Er...didn't someone else once write a book called Memoirs of a Monster Hunter?

What's also interesting is that right next to my photo on the back cover of my Memoirs it describes the book with the following opening words: "Part X-Files, part Crocodile Hunter..."

On the back of Gates' book, right next to his photo, it describes the book with the following opening words: "Part journey into the unexplained, part hilarious travelogue..."

Hmmmm...

Texas Monsters at EPIC

Yesterday afternoon, with Ken Gerhard, I went along to the monthly meeting of the Grapevine, Texas-based EPIC group, where Ken was due to lecture on our book, Monsters of Texas.

As for Ken's lecture, he gave a fine presentation on a wide range of beasts seen throughout Texas for decades - and, in some cases, even longer - including Bigfoot, wild-men of the woods, the notorious Lake Worth Goat-Man, giant winged monsters and flying humanoids, big cats, out of place alligators, the so-called Texas Chupacabra, and a great deal more too.

And, if you aren't aware of EPIC (Extraordinary Phenomena Investigations Council (the brainchild of Ken Cherry), I recommend you check them out as they are doing some excellent work in all realms of unknown phenomena.

A fine time was had, lots of questions were asked (which is always a good sign that the audience is interested!), and even none other than Jim Marrs came along to listen! And with a few good beers and dinner afterwards, it was a good afternoon and evening!

Orang-Pendek Update

The Center for Fortean Zoology's Richard Freeman has a new post in the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper on Orang-Pendek, which provides yet more fascinating insight into the beast.

Monster Hot-Spots

My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com on why certain locations seem to attract far more than their fair share of strange beasts...

A Cryptozoological Passing

This year has seen far more than its fair share of passings in the field of Forteana. And, now, there's another one - this one being very significant to the field of Cryptozoology, as Loren Coleman notes over at Cryptomundo.

Bigfoot Poll Results

Well, the results of my first poll at this blog - on the nature of Bigfoot - are in, and they make for interesting reading.

Of the 4 options for what Bigfoot might be, the results are as follows:

Gigantopithecus: 19 Percent.
An Unknown Animal: 50 Percent.
A Paranormal Entity: 21 Percent.
A Myth: 9 Percent.

Of course, in a poll such as this, it's difficult to gauge what we can learn from these figures. And, equally of course, under no circumstances at all should those same results be viewed as being in any way definitive - of anything.

After all, one might argue that because my views on Bigfoot are somewhat alternative in nature, this might mean people who share my views tend to gravitate more to this blog than to one which caters more for those who view Bigfoot as a purely flesh-and-blood creature.

The result: More votes for the paranormal theory than one might be inclined to see elsewhere.

I was most intrigued to find, however, that almost 1 in 10 people thought that Bigfoot was mythological.

So, all in all, an interesting set of results that provide a good indication of some of the beliefs, theories and conclusions of people who read this blog.

I'll be posting another poll later today or tomorrow, so be sure to vote!

PS: You'll see that the percentages above add up to 99 percent, not 100 percent. What happened to that elusive 1 percent? I have no idea!

Orang-Pendek Update

Here's the latest news on the Center for Fortean Zoology's newly-completed expedition to Sumatra in search of the Orang-Pendek. This report comes from the Australian office of the CFZ, which played an integral role in the quest to find the mystery beast.

A Bigfoot/UFO Gig

This just in from Stan Gordon:

2011 Pittsburgh PA UFO-Bigfoot Conferences Feature Nationally Known Speakers

A two day paranormal extravaganza is coming to the Pittsburgh area October 22-23, 2011, at the Westmoreland County Community College, in Youngwood.

The events are sponsored and organized by the Pennsylvania Chapter of the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) and the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society (PBS).

For two days the public will have the opportunity to learn about the ongoing UFO phenomena and Bigfoot mystery. UFO sightings continue to be reported over Pennsylvania and around the Pittsburgh area.

The Keystone state has a long history of reported encounters with large hair covered man-like creatures. Recent reports of a Bigfoot sighting and recordings of strange animal sounds from Fayette County will be among the topics covered.

Both national and regional speakers and investigators will provide illustrated lectures on both topics. The PA MUFON UFO Conference will be held on Saturday.

The six speaker line up for Saturday will include Stanton Friedman, who will speak about Roswell and MJ12, Stan Gordon, who will discuss Historic UFO and Bigfoot cases from Pennsylvania, John Ventre, the PA MUFON State Director, who will speak about 2012, and David Twichell talks about UFOs and the Bible. William Konkolesky discusses UFOs over Michigan and Roger Marsh presents UFO Witness Theater.

On Sunday, the East Coast Bigfoot Conference makes its return to the area. The event, which was organized by PBS Director Eric Altman, will also feature six speakers.

This line up of lectures will include presentations from nationally known researchers including Dr. Jeff Meldrum, who will discuss “Sasquatch: the Global Phenomena”, Steve Kulls, “Primate Habitation in Relation to Bigfoot Research”, Stan Gordon, who will cover, “Mysterious Creatures of Pennsylvania”, and Eric Altman on “Bigfoot in Pennsylvania”. Dave Dragosin discusses Bigfoot witness sketches, and Billy Willard talks about Bigfoot in Virginia.

There will be displays, information booths, book signings and vendor tables outside the auditorium and open to those who attend. The events will begin both days at 10:00am and continue until 7 pm. Pizza and soft drinks will be available for purchase during the scheduled lunch breaks. Saturday evening dinner with the speakers.

For details and more information call John Ventre at 724-836-1266 or visit http://www.mufonpa.com

Head-Games

Something weird has been going on in our back-garden (or, back-yard, as it's called in the US!) for some time now.

And, it's probably a good idea to bring it to people's attention, as it's still on-going.

About three weeks ago, I found a decapitated mole in the grass, which I thought was kind of odd, and which Ken Gerhard saw when he came to visit shortly afterwards. Then, about two weeks ago, I found a large, skinned bone on the lawn - yep, picked entirely clean of meat.

But, there was far more - and much worse - to come, as the photo above shows.

Last Saturday morning, me and Dana were sitting outside when D suddenly gave out a huge scream and pointed to a paved area about eight-feet from where we were sitting.

As the photo graphically shows - and as became clear when I went over to take a close-up look at it - it was the head of a possum, which had clearly been pretty savagely torn or bitten off.

And, it was made all the more strange by the fact that this is the precise position the head was in when we found it. In other words, I didn't carefully position it for the photo. In fact, handling the ant-infested head was the very last thing I wanted to do!

The culprit? Well...I'm not sure...

But, what I can say for sure is that twice in the past year we have seen a Coyote in the street outside our house. The first time was in June of last year, when we came back from my mum's funeral in England and it raced across the road in front of us, around 8.30 at night.

The second time we saw it was during a very violent thunderstorm in May or June of this year, when - again - it was racing along the road outside our home.

Plus, although we live in a city (Arlington, Texas, just outside Dallas and Fort Worth) behind our house is a huge stretch of field that extends for hundreds of feet (both length and breadth-wise). The ideal place for a predator, perhaps.

I'm inclined to think the Coyote was the culprit (and that the mole and the bone issue were part of its actions too), but if you have any other ideas, let me know...

Casting Orang-Pendek

Here's the latest news on the expedition to Sumatra in search of the Orang-Pendek, which includes an interesting photo of a certain aspect of the quest that I mentioned a few days ago.

Winged Humans/Flying Humans

It's debatable whether or not sightings of winged humanoids fall into the category of Cryptozoology or some other realm. But, given the fact that my new article for Mysterious Universe on such things makes a brief reference to Mothman and Owlman, I'll go ahead and post the link here!

Mystery Animals of the Northern Isles

As you may know, CFZ Press has an on-going series of books called Mystery Animals of the British Isles.

Well, there's an excellent new addition to the series, which has just been published. This one is written by Glen Vaudrey and covers the Northern Isles.

And you can find my review of the book at my latest Lair of the Beasts column for Mania.com. Here's the link.

An Island Monster

My latest post at Mysterious Universe - on a certain infamous blood-sucker...

Orang Pendek Info

Jon Downes has an important update on the current expedition to Sumatra in search of the Orang Pendek.

Jon has received the following, important message from team member, Richard Freeman:

"Hi Jon, Great news, we have a cast of the very first orang-pendek hand print ever recorded. Found by John Didmus, casted by Andy Sanderson. We all are getting copies. We also have hair found close by."

More news when we have it!

Bigfoot TV

Last weekend (as I noted at this post), me and Ken Gerhard headed up to Oklahoma, where we were both speaking at the first, annual Cryptid Fest, held at the McGee State Park.

While we were there, a team from the local Fox News TV channel turned up to do interviews, about our views on Bigfoot, the field itself, witnesses, and even what some believed to be evidence of Bigfoot in the very area we were filming!

Well, the segment is now online and can be found right here.

Mystery Animals of the Northern Isles

Good news! Glen Vaudrey has a new book out right now. It's the latest in the Center for Fortean Zoology's on-going series of titles that fall under the banner of Mystery Animals of the British Isles.

Glen's new book covers the Northern Isles, and here's Jon Downes to tell you more about it:

"Glen's second volume in the Mystery Animals of the British Isles series is now available. As Glen writes in his Introduction: 'My aim with this book is to introduce you to the many wonderful mystery animals that have put in an appearance in the Northern Isles over the years, from the darkest days of the Middle Ages right up to the mdoern day. For those unfamiliar with the term, the Northern Isles is used here to describe the island groups to be found north of mainland Scotland."

If you're in the UK, you can purchase Glen Vaudrey's Mystery Animals of the British Isles: The Northern Isles at this link. And US readers can buy it right here.

Back from the Cryptid-Fest

In the early hours of Saturday morning, good mate (and author of Big Bird! and co-author with me of Monsters of Texas) Ken Gerhard drove up to my home from San Antonio.

The reason: we were both due to speak at the first ever Cryptid Fest, organized by Mike Roberts in the 10,000-acre McGee State Park, in the heart of Native American land near Atoka, Oklahoma.

Since Oklahoma is only a couple of hours' drive from where me and Dana live, all went well - that is, until a certain company whose map-service I had used to get us there took us to an entirely different part of the park, and we ended up getting lost for about an hour amid its tree-shrouded, winding roads and tracks! But, I digress!

When we finally arrived (around 2PM), we were pleased to see that the audience was settled in, and things were progressing in fine fashion: Paula Schermerhorn was speaking on UFOs and ghosts, followed by Amanda Wagaman on a variety of paranormal phenomena.

After Amanda, it was time for Bill Rebsamen, whose presentation was as unique as it was entertaining. Bill discussed a whole wealth of Cryptids, but did so by illustrating them with examples of his own, excellent artwork. And, if you aren't familiar with Bill's art, you really should!

Following Bill, was me, on some of the high-strangeness-style creatures within Cryptozoology, such as Mothman, England's spectral Man-Monkey, Goat-Men, and Werewolves.

Then, Ken gave the headline presentation, on strange, winged-monsters - that's right, those huge and mystifying giant birds that seem to pop up here, there and everywhere from time to time.

Right around 7PM, we grabbed some food, before the next part of the conference began: a night-time quest for Bigfoot. Given that there have been significant reports of the beast from the very location where the conference was being held, this seemed a good and logical idea.

And, although I didn't personally experience anything unusual that day or night, there were those who heard strange noises, found tracks, and even thought they saw dark figures in the woods.

In other words, it was a fine, insightful, informative, fun, and monstrous event!

If you couldn't make this year's Cryptid Fest, I'm pleased to be able to say there will be another one next year - don't miss it!

Bound for Sumatra

The latest CFZ expedition to Sumatra - in search of the Orang-Pendek - has begun. And, as this link shows, this time it's a truly international quest to find the beast.

And here's Richard Freeman's second-of-two posts for England's Guardian newspaper on the creature-quest.

In Search of the Orang-Pendek

The forthcoming Center for Fortean Zoology expedition to Sumatra in search of the elusive and mystery Orang-Pendek is highlighted in today's edition of Britain's Guardian newspaper. The team leaves tomorrow, and as and when news comes in, I'll update you right here.

In the meantime, here's the link to Richard's first Guardian post on the wild thing of the woods...

Mini-Creatures

Over at the Center for Fortean Zoology blog, On the Track, Richard Freeman has an interesting new post that begins thus:

"In North America a number of what have been claimed to be mummified corpses of tiny men or man-like creatures have been uncovered. The most famous became known as the Pedro Mountain Mummy and its story takes us back to Wyoming. In October 1932 Cecil Main and Frank Carr blasted a hole through the wall of a ravine in the San Pedro Mountains, about 65 miles southwest of Casper, Wyoming. They were looking for gold but what they found was even more amazing. Inside the ravine wall was a hidden cavern approximately 4 ft tall, 4 ft wide, and about 15 ft deep. On a ledge in the cavern was the body of a tiny creature mummified by age. It would have been no more than 14 inches in height and was sitting in a cross-legged position. It had strangely protuberant eyes, a low brow, thick lips and large hands. The skull seemed oddly flattened and was covered in a gelatinous substance. This seemed to be blood and brain matter, and a blow to the head had apparently killed the little creature. The tiny body weighed 7 ounces."

And here's the rest of Richard's post.

Wild Men & Green Men

Over at her website, Kithra has a new post on Woodwose and Wild Men - phenomena that play an integral role in the British Bigfoot controversy.

Here's the opening words of Kithra's article:

"In its depiction the Woodwose, sometimes called the Wild Man, is very similar to the Green Man. Both appear in ancient mythology and have their origins in ancient paganism. And, since they became subsumed into Christianity in medieval times, both can often be found as decoration in Churches.

"Whilst the Green Man, a pre-Christian fertility symbol, is usually depicted with the face half-covered in leaves and vines emanating from the mouth, the Woodwose is usually shown as a complete, part human, figure carrying a club with the limbs being leafy. It also often shows a thick beard and wears a cap. The Woodwose may also be shown holding the club in different positions. Sometimes this is on its side and sometimes it is raised. There is a theory that a raised club depicts the figure before it was converted to Christianity, but it’s probably more correct to believe that it was raised to ward off evil spirits."

And here's the link to the complete paper.

Polling for Monsters

As you'll see on the right of this page - just underneath the main banner - I have added a "Poll" section to the blog. Each month (for 30 days), I'll have a new question which - if people click on it and offer their opinions - will hopefully provide some understanding of how the community views certain aspects of Cryptozoology. Let me know your views!

Terror in the Skies

Ken Gerhard (my co-author on Monsters of Texas) reveals the extraordinary details of a Texas-based "flying man" event from just a couple of years ago that kind of suggests the infamous Houston Batman may finally have put in a reappearance.

If you're in the Lone Star State, keep looking up...

Monstrous Ghosts?

Could some cryptids (particularly those that seem far more spectral than they do flesh-and-blood) actually be the ghosts of long-dead (and perhaps long-extinct) animals of a known variety?

Check out my latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com.

Searching for the Loch Ness Monster

As I have noted in my books and on various radio-shows, my interest in Cryptozoology dates back to when, as a child, my parents took me to Loch Ness, Scotland, where we were holidaying for a week.

It proved to be a defining moment in determining what I wanted to do in life.

And, I'm pretty sure, a lot of people gravitate towards the subject when they are in their youth, in much the same fashion as I did.

With that in mind, if any of you have young kids that are showing an interest in all-things cryptozoological, this forthcoming book may interest them, Searching for the Loch Ness Monster.

It's designed for 9-12-year-olds and - who knows? - it may spur them on to become seekers of strange critters too!

Definitely A Weird Weekend...

Jon Downes goes utterly, stark-raving bonkers, his little English village of Woolsery finds itself transformed by Wilhelm Reich's Orgone Accumulator, and there's a singalong to Hawkwind. No, I'm not making this up!

Only in the unique and macabre world of the Center for Fortean Zoology can such things be considered completely normal...

Ravens on the Rampage

At her Animal Forteana blog, Regan Lee highlights a very weird and disturbing story of attacks by ravens on farm animals across the British Isles. Is it merely just due to the fact that Britain's raven population is growing and there's a need for more food? Or is something stranger and far more ominous going on? Here's the story.

Posing with the Chupacabra

Warning: the photo in this link may seriously alarm those of a nervous disposition...

;)

The Weird Weekend

Check out the Center for Fortean Zoology's On the Track blog for multiple posts on the Weird Weekend gig that wrapped-up last night. By all accounts (and as is always the case), it was an excellent event! Here's the link.

The Wild Thing Of Warrington

Over at his Monster! blog, Neil Arnold tells the strange story of the Warrington Man-Beast, and begins thus:

"The town of Warrington, which sits on the banks of the River Mersey, is also a borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire. According to an obscure story from the 18th century, later repeated in Wally Barnes' 1990 book Ghosts, Mysteries & Legends of Old Warrington, a terrifying man-beast once stalked a farm in Warrington. One such farm, once known as Peggy Gronachs Chicken Farm harboured a bizarre story which Wally Barnes was told of in the 1940s. According to Barnes, Peggy Gronach was '...the most evil, ugly and haggard old wretch ever seen in the vicinity.'"

And here's the link to Neil's complete article.

The Werewolf Book - Reviewed

Over at Mania.com, you can find my latest Lair of the Beasts column, which is a review of Brad Steiger's new title, The Werewolf Book, a must-read for all fans of hairy man-beasts, a full moon, and silver-bullets!

Tales of the Ningen

Over at Mysterious Universe, Rob Morphy goes off in hot-pursuit of the Ningen...

In the intro to his article, Rob says:

"The ocean’s vast, mysterious depths are full of enigmatic oddities that have never seen the light of day, but while there are few who would deny that the seas are teeming with as yet undiscovered life-forms, most would be reticent to admit that there are any truly gargantuan species waiting to be found in the fathomless deep...Nevertheless, it would seem that the inscrutable Ningen is just such a creature..."

And here's Rob's complete article.

Nick's Fortean Pic(s) of the Day

The above is the title of a new blog from me, which is basically just a bit of photographic fun, highlighting some of the weird and mysterious - but hopefully entertaining, too! - photos that I have taken, been sent, or stumbled upon over the last 20-years or so. Expect at least 1 new photo per day!

Here's the link to Nick's Fortean Pic(s) of the Day.

Killers on the Moor

If you're familiar with the books of Center for Fortean Zoology Director Jon Downes (and, if you aren't, you really should be!), you'll know that in a number of his books, Jon references a disturbing series of animal mutilations (specifically of ponies) that occurred on the mysterious wilds of Dartmoor, England in 1977.

And, it's a case that I touch upon too, in my latest book, The Real Men in Black. The reason: a weird spate of telephone interference (a classic facet of MIB phenomena) that hit certain players in the saga.

Well, I'm very pleased to say that a new book has just surfaced that addresses this very case, as well as the wider, worldwide animal mutilation puzzle.

Published by Book Guild Ltd, its title is Killers on the Moor: The Case of the Dartmoor Ponies and Beyond and is written by a guy named Mike Freebury, who - in one of those synchronistic events - happens to hail from my home-town of Walsall, England. And, it's a big book too: it's a hardcover production running at 400-pages.

As soon as I've read the book, I'll be reviewing it right here.

Here's the Amazon link to the book, and here's the description from the publisher:

"On Easter Monday 1977, a man and his family were enjoying a walk on Dartmoor in south-west England. As they approached a small remote valley below White Tor they were horrified to come upon the twisted bodies of four Dartmoor ponies. The ponies' necks and backs appeared to have been broken in what must have been a very violent attack.

"Worse was to come, when more dead ponies were found only a hundred yards away. In total fifteen animals were found dead and mutilated. The police and the RSPCA were called in, but despite detailed investigations were unable to give convincing accounts of what might have happened to the animals.

"Mike Freebury became interested in the case due to press coverage in 2000. He was to discover that horrific unexplained animal deaths and mutilations have been occurring all over the world for many years. As he became more fascinated by the phenomenon, and began to investigate incidents for himself, he somewhat reluctantly came to a startling conclusion. The mutilations appear to be a sampling programme by an extraterrestrial intelligence, and evidence is being systematically covered up and denied by government departments worldwide.

"Mike Freebury was born and brought up near Birmingham. He has enjoyed a career in advertising, construction and then manufacturing and is now finance manager for one of the oldest firms in the West Midlands.

"Mike is currently operations director of the Animal Pathology Field Unit (APFU), investigating animal mutilation cases throughout the UK and abroad. Mike and his wife Jill still live in Walsall, West Midlands and have two grown-up daughters."

UPDATE! Jon Downes gives his views on the book. And, given that Jon is someone who took a deep interest in the affair, as well as the players in the saga, his words are important...

Elizabeth's Monster

Jennae digs deep into the strange and winding tale (Not tail! Or, perhaps, maybe!) of the monster of Elizabeth Lake.

She begins: "So I just learned about another lake monster the other day. This one is very different from other lake monsters that I have written about. This one is much more sinister, and, believe it or not, much more mysterious than any other lake monster that I’ve heard about. The lake in question is called Elizabeth Lake. This lake is located near Palmdale in LA County. Some say that this is the oldest lake in the state. I’m not really a person who studies lake history, so I couldn’t tell you for sure. This lake has been nicknamed Laguna Del Diablo; and if you look at the history of this lake, it’s easy to see why."

And here's the link to Jennae's complete article.

Neil Arnold on Vampires

Back in 2010, good mate, author and long-time cryptozoologist Neil Arnold was filmed for Richard Syrett's Conspiracy Show - on the notorious saga of the Highgate Vampire. The show is now available on YouTube, and here it is!

On the Track -

Episode 48 of the Center for Fortean Zoology's online diary, On the Track, is now available for viewing, and here it is!

The Puddle Monster Update

Yes, the thrilling adventure is finally at an end: Naomi "Beast-Slayer" West has solved the mystery of her Puddle Monster. Be afraid, be very afraid...

What Happens If We Find Bigfoot?

Maybe something like this? (My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com).

Ghosts, Spirits, & Hauntings

Ghosts, Spirits, & Hauntings is the second volume in an on-going, new series of titles from New Page Books that all fall under the overall banner of Exposed, Uncovered, and Declassified.

Volume II includes an article from me titled Monsters of the Spectral Kind that details reports of ghostly Bigfoot-type creatures, phantom black dogs with blazing red eyes, the paranormal aspects of the Loch Ness Monster controversy, life-after-death in the animal kingdom and much, much more.

For more data on the book, click on this link. If ghosts are your thing, you won't be disappointed!

Cryptid Fest Update

There's a new website established for the Cryptid Fest gig I'll be speaking at in September (see my recent post at this blog). Here's the link.

Weird Weekend 2011 - Details

This just in from Jon Downes at the Center for Fortean Zoology:

For one weekend a year the tiny North Devon village of Woolsery becomes the weirdest village in the land. The largest gathering of scholars of esoteric natural history in the English-speaking world, is set to take place in rural north Devon. The Centre for Fortean Zoology’s annual conference, the Weird Weekend, will see speakers from all over the country gathering Woolsery to discuss their work and discoveries.

The Weird Weekend,held over the weekend of the 19-21st August, now in its 12 year is the largest convention of its kind. This year’s speakers include one of the world’s leading geneticists Professor Bryan Sykes. Professor Sykes will be speaking on the yeti and samples of hair he has tested. Continuing the theme, cryptozoologist Richard Freeman will be talking about the Centre for Fortean Zoology’s latest expedition that took them into the Garo Hills of northern India on the track of the yeti.

Last year at the convention scientists announced that hairs found in local woodland were those of a leopard. These findings were later confirmed by DNA analysis. A world exclusive this year comes from Dr Darren Naish from Portsmouth University and Max Blake from Bristol University who will produce conclusive proof that over 100 years ago there were still mystery cats in Devon.

Other speakers include Fortean researcher Matt Salusbury who has been on the track of pigmy elephants in India, entomologist Nick Wadham on giant spiders, cryptozoologist Adam Davies on the orang-pendek, the mystery ape of Sumatra, and Glen Vaudrey on the waterhorse, a sea serpent from Scottish legend.

As well as monstrous creatures, other esoteric subjects are covered. Former police officer John Hanson describes UFO cases reaching back to the 1940s.

Other subjects include Ronan Coghlan on the labours of Hercules, and Henry Hartley on Fortean aspects of the modern Mayans.

As well as a series of talks there will be stalls, workshops and events.

The Weird Weekend raises funds for village charities dealing with children and for the Centre for Fortean Zoology, the only full time organization in the world dedicated to the investigation of mystery animals.

The Weird Weekend takes place from 19th-21st of August.
For further details visit http://www.weirdweekend.org/
Or ring 01237 431413

NOTES TO EDITORS

* The Centre for Fortean Zoology [CFZ] is the world’s largest mystery animal research organisation. It was founded in 1992 by British author Jonathan Downes (52) and is a company limited by guarantee registered with HM Government.

* Life-president of the CFZ is Colonel John Blashford-Snell OBE, best known for his groundbreaking youth work organising the ‘Operation Drake’ and ‘Operation Raleigh’ expeditions in the 1970s and 1980s.

* CFZ Director Jonathan Downes is the author and/or editor of over 20 books. His latest book is Island of Paradise, his first hand account of two expeditions to the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico in search of the grotesque vampiric chupacabra.

* The CFZ have carried out expeditions across the world including India, Russia, Sumatra, Mongolia, Guyana, Gambia, Texas, Mexico, Thailand, Puerto Rico, Illinois, Loch Ness, and Loch Morar.

* CFZ Press are the world’s largest publishers of books on mystery animals. They also publish Animals & Men, the world’s only cryptozoology magazine, and The Amateur Naturalist, Britain’s only dedicated magazine on the subject.

* The CFZ produce their own full-length documentaries through their media division called CFZtv. One of their films `Lair of the Red Worm` which was released in early 2007 and documents their 2005 Mongolia expedition has now been seen by nearly 90,000 people.

* The CFZ is based in Jon Downes’ old family home in rural North Devon which he shares with his wife Corinna (55). It is also home to various members of the CFZ’s permanent directorate and a collection of exotic animals.

* Jonathan Downes presents a monthly web TV show called On the Track which covers cryptozoology and work of the CFZ.

* Following their successful partnership with Capcom www.capcom.com on the 2007 Guyana expedition, the CFZ are looking for more commercial sponsors.

Cryptid Fest

On the weekend of September 10-11, I'll be speaking at a gig in Oklahoma: The Cryptid Fest, where I'll be discussing the controversies surrounding the weirder - and paranormal-driven - aspects of Cryptozoology. Here's the info on the event from the organizer, with a link below that to where you can find out more about the Cryptid Fest:

Cryptid Fest - McGee Creek State Park, Oklahoma - Sept 10th 2011 BIGFOOT UFO Cryptozoology Paranormal Conference, Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 1:00 PM - Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 10:00 AM.

Deep in the heart of Native American country Atoka, OK, lies 10,000 acres of forest in McGee Creek State Park. With numerous Bigfoot sightings in the area, this is a prime location for Crytpo Hunting.

Join professionals from the cast of History Channel's MonsterQuest along with other experts for a full day of crypto, UFO, and paranormal.

Confirmed guests:

MonsterQuest Alumnus

Ken Gerhard

Joedy Cooke

Raven Meindel

Lee Hales

UFO Specialist Nick Redfern

Paranormal Speakers - Larry Flaxman and Pete Haviland

For more information on the Cryptid Fest, see: http://cryptidfestkg.eventbrite.com/

Hilary Evans RIP

This is exceptionally tragic news: Hilary Evans has died.

A White Bigfoot Caught on Film?

Real, hoax, who knows? But, over at Cryptomundo, it's provoking a lot of commentary...

Naomi's Nessie - The Continuing Saga

Yep, the terrifying tale is not all told yet!

Here's part-2, part-3, and part-4.

Will the West family survive this horrific and monstrous onslaught? We can only hope and pray!

Naomi's Nessie...

Good friend Naomi West (of the All This Pudding blog and fellow Center for Fortean Zoology colleague) has a strange and ominous beast from the outer-edge lurking in the darkened depths of a mysterious body of water on her Texan property.

As Naomi notes, the terrifying creature has surfaced just once so far, resulting in Naomi letting forth a rip-roaring scream that no doubt instilled cold and utter fear in the locals.

What might the Lovecraftian monster be? So far, there is no firm answer, and due to the very real possibility of being dragged into those same dark waters by the mighty jaws of the immense leviathan, Naomi is currently keeping her distance.

Well, the above might all be somewhat of a slight exaggeration! But something is swimming around! And here's the real story (not my idiotic rendition!) from Naomi herself...

Note: The photo above shows (left) Naomi, (center) my wife, Dana, and to the right with gun in-hand, my dad, Frank "Do you feel lucky, punk?" Redfern. We were visiting Naomi and her husband Richie recently, and engaged in the fine Texan sport of "shooting up shit."

Jennae on Multi-Dimensional Monsters

Over at her blog Jennae's Thoughts on the Paranormal...and More, Jennae has a thought-provoking post titled Beyond the Curtain, which in part addresses the issue of whether or not some cryptids might originate in other realms of existence - extra-dimensions, in other words. She suspects not, but it's a good, solid article on an issue that most definitely polarizes people into different camps.

Jennae begins as follows:

"They say that monsters don’t really come from our earth. They say that some monsters and ghosts come from other dimensions. They say that even some UFOs are not from outer space at all, but simply from another dimension. Who are they? A select few monster, ghost, and UFO hunters and theorists. It is a theory that seems to tie things up quite tidily. It makes a good explanation as to why no one can get any concrete evidence; the strange being or whatever simply slipped back into their dimension. I can certainly see the possibility of parallel realities. I bet these alternate existences can account for a lot of crazy things that happen out there. So let’s go over the whys and why nots regarding the possibility of parallel universes and the phenomena connected to them."

And here's the link to the complete article.

Creature of the Month at New Page Books

New Page Books (who have published my books The Real Men in Black, The NASA Conspiracies, Contactees and Memoirs of a Monster Hunter) have established a new section at their blog titled Creature of the Month, for which I (along with authors Dr. Bob Curran and Oberon Zell-Ravenheart) will be posting regular articles.

The first one from me is on that pesky Puerto Rican vampire, the Chupacabra. Here's the link.