The Wild Side of Kent

Good mate Neil Arnold provides us with an excellent article on the many and varied animals of an unusual nature that can be found in his home-county of Kent, England. Truly a place of all-things wild!

Bigfoot & Littlefoot

Sometimes, Bigfoot isn't quite as big as we think it is...

Owlman & Max Ernst

If you have read Jon Downes' book, The Owlman and Others, you'll know that one of the characters who turns up in its pages is a certain Max Ernst.

If you haven't read Jon's book, and you don't know who Ernst was, then you're in for a treat if you decide to dig further.

But, in the meantime, there's an excellent post on Ernst at Christopher Knowles' Secret Sun blog - which, in my view, is one of the very best Fortean-themed blogs around (although, it covers, far, far more than just Forteana...).

Here's the link to Chris's post.

Profiling the Goat-Man

Every couple of months I do a post for the New Page Books blog on a specific creature of Cryptozoology. This month, it's Texas's infamous Goat-Man - a very weird beast indeed!

Green, Unpleasant Land

Green, Unpleasant Land is the brand new book from my good mate and Center for Fortean Zoology zoological director, Richard Freeman.

Rich, as I'm sure you know, has penned a number of excellent non-fiction books, including the acclaimed Dragons: More Than A Myth?

But, now, with his new book, he turns his attention to horror-themed fiction.

And, here's Rich to tell you all about his latest publication, one I most definitely recommend:

"This book represents my own kicking back at the poor excuse for horror we have had to endure for so long. But my second reason for writing it was to showcase some odd and overlooked pieces of British folklore. Too often horror is stuck in the rut of using the same subjects and monsters, when in folklore there is a wealth of concepts and creatures that are rarely tapped into. My favourite era of Dr Who was that of the third doctor, played by Jon Pertwee, and I think that one of the reasons I liked it so much was that for much of Pertwee's tenure in the title role, The Doctor was confined to earth, mostly Britain. So that is what I have done here: these eighteen stories are all set in Britain, either in the present day, or within living memory. Herein you will find dragons and hellhounds, goblins and killer rodents, unicorns and basilisks. There is a vampire story, but the creature in it bears scant resemblance to the popular, and totally wrong, public perception of them. I hope this book will open your eyes to the potential of horror. It is more than just teenaged vampires hanging around schools."

The Beast of Boggy Creek

Probably the most important cryptozoological book of this year: Lyle Blackburn's forthcoming The Beast of Boggy Creek, which will be published very soon by the good folks at Anomalist Books:

Jeanett Thomas Missing

You may have seen the very worrying story about Jeanett Thomas - wife of Danish cryptozoologist Lars Thomas - who has gone missing. Everyone is deeply concerned, and if anyone has heard anything, please get in touch with Lars. You can find out more at this link, at the Center for Fortean Zoology's On the Track blog.

Naming Bigfoot

Kithra has a new article that I definitely recommend you check out - it focuses on the many and varied names, titles etc that have been applied to such hairy man-beasts as Bigfoot.

As you'll see, the list is long and varied - and collecting the data was surely not the simple task that many might have otherwise assumed!

Nessie: The MacNab Photo

Over at the Loch Ness Mystery blog, you can find an excellent new study of the famous Peter MacNab photo. A picture that has for many years provoked a great deal of controversy within Nessie circles, it's given excellent treatment in this new article, which is well worth reading.

The Origins of a Monster Hunter

Well, finally feeling much better again! So, it's time to try and catch up on a few things.

As some of you will know, I write a regular, weekly column at Mania.com titled Lair of the Beasts.

For the newly-posted one (which you can find here), I thought I would do something a bit different. Whereas most of my posts are on the latest cryptozoological news or book reviews, I figured that once a month or so I would do a post that reveals how a particular cryptozoologist got into the subject.

And, I figured, why not make the first post on my good mate, Richard Freeman of the Center for Fortean Zoology.

As you'll see from the link above, Rich's origins as they relate to Cryptozoology are notable and intriguing!

Under the Weather...

Been under the weather all week, hence no posts. But hopefully back to normal next week - had a dose of a severe chest infection bordering on pneumonia unfortunately.

Bigfoot Gets Bizarre!

I've read some weird stories of a Bigfoot nature in my time, but this one is really out there!!!

In fact, trying to summarize it for you is an impossible task! So, with that said, I recommend you check it out and make up your own mind...

From Man To Beast

My latest Lair of the Beasts column at Mania.com focuses on werewolves. But not of the classic "man mutates into beast" angle, but of the type borne out of the complexities - and sometimes the deeply disturbing complexities - of the human mind. Here's the link to the article!

Monsters of Virginia

I haven't seen this new book yet, but it looks to be a good one: Monsters of Virginia: Mysterious Creatures in the Old Dominion by L.B. Taylor, Jr.

And, as the publisher notes, it contains sections on Bigfoot; the Wampus Cat; Chessie, the sea serpent; the Snallygaster; and other strange phenomena, including vampires, werewolves, thunderbirds, goatmen, and out-of-place animals.

Well worth getting, methinks!

British Big Cats: A Photo And A Story

Neil Arnold shares an intriguing story - and accompanying photo - of a large, exotic-looking cat in his home county of Kent, England. Here's the link!

Strange Creatures & UFOs: Pennsylvania

This just in from Silent Invasion author, Stan Gordon:

















Strange Creatures & UFOs Descend on Pennsylvania During 2011
(Mysterious Events reported from 48 Counties in the Commonwealth)

From Stan Gordon: www.stangordon.info

The year 2011 was another active time period for Pennsylvania residents to report strange observations and encounters with UFOs, Bigfoot and other strange creatures, and various other mysterious events. I have been keeping records of such anomalistic events from Pennsylvania, since 1959 when I was ten years old. In 1969, I set up a UFO Hotline through which the public could contact me to report UFO sightings or anything unusual. I have been receiving such reports ever since that time, and continue to do so by phone (724-838-7768) or by e-mail: paufo@comcast.net .

The sighting reports which come to my attention yearly are either reported directly to me or are reported to other sources such as Peter Davenport’s “National UFO Reporting Center”, www.nuforc.org, the Pennsylvania Chapter of (MUFON) the Mutual UFO Network, www.mufonpa.com, The (PBS) Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society, www.pabigfootsociety.com, or other independent groups and researchers, many with whom I maintain contact. During 2011, unusual incidents originated from 48 counties in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

UFO sightings were responsible for the highest percentage of strange observations reported. Some rather strange creature encounters also came across my desk. Bigfoot encounters continue to be reported yearly from various locations in the state. An encounter with a large winged humanoid creature, giant bird sightings, mountain lions, and other creature incidents also reportedly occurred. Among other phenomena reported were strange footprints seen in various locations, unusual sounds, and odd photographic images.

Some of the UFO sightings that I looked into from 2011, were misidentifications of natural or man-made objects. The bright Planets Venus and Jupiter were commonly misidentified. Bright meteors, a blimp, and what appeared to be launches of homemade hot air balloons or Chinese lanterns led to some UFO reports. On the evening of June 21st, in the Pittsburgh area, a defective national weather service balloon following the wind patterns created some UFO reports.

There were numerous reports from various statewide locations of formations of bright orange or orange-red lights during the year. There is no doubt that some of these were launches of some type of hot air balloons. However some of the reports are more interesting. On the evening of September 24th, 2011, there were a number of UFO sightings reported around the Pittsburgh area. One sighting in Baldwin Borough, Allegheny County, involved five luminous objects moving in a fixed position. The witnesses were interviewed by fellow researcher Keith Bastianini. One witness describing the actions of some of the objects commented, “They broke the formation and began maneuvering about under the others. A couple of times it almost seemed as if they would merge together and then separate.” For a more detailed account, see: http://www.stangordon.info/sightings.htm.

Unidentified Flying Objects sightings of different shapes and sizes occurred all year long. Spherical, cigar, triangular, rectangular, and disc shaped objects were all reported. In August, a daylight observation of a large shiny metallic cigar shaped object hovering low above the ground was reported in Butler County. In September, near Charleroi, in Washington County, a cigar shaped object was reported with what appeared to be a row of brightly illuminated rectangular windows. In October, there was another report from Somerset County describing a glowing orange cylindrical shaped object in a vertical position only about 80 feet above the ground. Other similar sightings were reported elsewhere in the state.

The last UFO incident which I received for the year was reported near Latrobe in Westmoreland County. The witness was on Route 30 east in the vicinity of the Walmart Plaza when she noticed a number of vehicles stopped, and several people looking towards the sky. What was observed was a large object, which appeared to be more round than oblong, and was spinning. Numerous lights could be seen on the lower part of the object.

Eric Altman of the Pennsylvania Bigfoot Society provided details about reported Bigfoot activity in 2011. His group was looking into reports from Adams, Beaver, Cambria, Elk, Fayette, and Forest Counties. I received information on possible Bigfoot related activity in Armstrong and Westmoreland County as well. In November, a truck driver near Jonestown rounded a bend, and observed a creature described as 6 feet tall, about 200 pounds in weight, and covered with light brown hair, except for the face which was white. In October, three men small game hunting in the Allegheny National State Forest, encountered a 7-8 feet tall creature covered in dark brown hair. The beast was said to have been throwing rocks at them and growling.

Fayette County continues to be an active area for reported encounters with these large, hair covered generally man-like creatures. There were several reports during 2011, including a series of incidents that occurred from August through September. That event began with reports that an overnight security team was hearing unusual sounds almost nightly in the forested areas around the construction site they were guarding. The team claimed they would hear loud high pitched screams, howls, whoops, wood knocks and even deep guttural growls.

On September 8th, the supervisor of the security unit contacted the PA Bigfoot Society to report that around 3:30 in the morning, he saw a creature staring at him from around the back of a power supply board on the edge of the property approximately 75 yards away. He watched the creature for several moments until it turned and walked away on two legs into the darkness. The PBS responded with an investigation and a series of unexplained sounds were heard and recorded. Some of these sounds can be heard under the sound tabs at the PBS website: www.pabigfootsociety.com.

A strange creature encounter was said to have taken place in Butler County during the early hours of March 18th, between Chicora and East Brady. A motorist caught in his headlights a tall muscular creature that suddenly stood up. The humanoid looking creature which was at least eight feet tall appeared to have smooth leather-like skin over its body. The creature was only observed from the side as it never looked at the car. The creature had arms that appeared a little longer than a human, and a hand that looked more like a claw, but the number of fingers could not be determined. The legs appeared to be very muscular. One physical trait noted was what appeared to be wings on its back that were tucked into its body, with the wing tips extending toward the side of its head. The creature was only observed for 7-8 seconds as it crossed the two lane road in three long steps. There were other reports of possible thunderbird sightings, where giant birds with huge wingspans were reported.

Another odd animal sighting was reported in June from Allegheny County. A witness who was familiar with the local wildlife observed from her back porch an odd four legged creature which she could not identify. The animal, which was estimated to weigh about 35 pounds and was about 2 ½ feet long, was seen as it cantered down a road. The creature was very thin, and did not look like a dog, and did not move like a coyote or fox. The creature was very thin but didn’t appear to be starving or emaciated. The animal looked either hairless, or had very short hair about 1/8 inches long. The entire body was of a pale tan cream beige color. The observer was able to see a pointy snout and pointy ears as well, and it had a cat-like face. The tail, which was about as long as the body (2½ feet), was hairless and skinny. The last 6 inches of the tail curved slightly upwards.

To report a UFO, Bigfoot or other strange creature sighting, or any unusual incident from Pennsylvania, contact Stan Gordon at 724-838-7768 (24 hours) or via paufo@comcast.net. Visit Stan Gordon’s “UFO Anomalies Zone” website www.stangordon.info for recent reports of unusual incidents from Pennsylvania as well as other events.

On The Track - A New Episode

The new edition of the Center for Fortean Zoology's monthly On The Track is now online, and you can find it right here below!

Big Cats at Kent Online

This is very good news: Neil Arnold (author of Monster!; The Mystery Animals of the British Isles: London; and many more titles) has been asked to do a regular blog for England's Kent Online on the "big cats in Britain" controversy.

You can find his first post right here.

And, as one of Britain's leading authorities on the subject, no doubt Neil will have plenty to say on the matter as time goes on!