Sighting (13th Dec 2022)

[catseye]

Since the sighting only lasted three or four seconds, I think that doesn't really allow enough time for an accurate assessment of its shape or flight-path. Indeed, that time is so short that it seems unlikely to be any kind of large craft, alien or not; nothing large could move that fast. I suspect it was a large, vaguely-triangular bird, perhaps a goose or maybe an owl, swooping down to land.

The fact that Feen saw a pair of lighter patches on this shape suggests that the bird had some lighter feathers on the underside; a Canada goose, maybe, which has a patch of lighter feathers under its wing.

On a slightly different note, I was out walking with the dog one night just after dark and, from above me, came the most unearthly noise. I couldn't pinpoint what it was, a kind of whistling honking sound. Again (because she's my barometer for weird) the dog didn't react so I just stood and looked up and puzzled...

and when they flew across near the moon, I realised it was a skein of geese. I recognised the noise as soon as I saw them, but in the dark and unseen it was incredibly spooky.

 

[Trevp666]

Geese.
Also known as 'whistle-honks'.

 

[ChasFink]

That's because they aren't.
Turn off the computers and they would crash as they rely on the extremely quick modifications to the control surfaces to keep them in the air, much quicker than a person could do with a 'stick'.

I did know that, but actually seeing it in operation was quite startling.

 

[BS3]

On a slightly different note, I was out walking with the dog one night just after dark and, from above me, came the most unearthly noise. I couldn't pinpoint what it was, a kind of whistling honking sound. Again (because she's my barometer for weird) the dog didn't react so I just stood and looked up and puzzled...

and when they flew across near the moon, I realised it was a skein of geese. I recognised the noise as soon as I saw them, but in the dark and unseen it was incredibly spooky.

This just reminded me of an odd bird related experience I had in, I suppose, my early-mid teens and which I'd almost forgotten about.

I was lying awake at about 1 or 2 in the morning. It was pitch black outside - can't remember the time of year though. Anyway I heard the repeated cry of a single bird in the distance - odd because of the hour of night and the fact I didn't really recognise it at all, despite being pretty familiar with the calls of most birds that appeared in our bit of Wales. It was a bit buzzard like, but wasn't a buzzard - not at that hour anyway.

The call got closer and closer and I got a distinct sense it was coming towards the house from the south. At this point the call very distinctly circled, a wide circle around the house and over the surrounding fields, but centred more or less overhead. Finally after a single circuit it faded away again to the north.

I realise that it was, I'm sure, some sort of unfamiliar bird passing overhead but the whole thing had a very unsettling feeling to it.

 

[catseye]

This just reminded me of an odd bird related experience I had in, I suppose, my early-mid teens and which I'd almost forgotten about.

I was lying awake at about 1 or 2 in the morning. It was pitch black outside - can't remember the time of year though. Anyway I heard the repeated cry of a single bird in the distance - odd because of the hour of night and the fact I didn't really recognise it at all, despite being pretty familiar with the calls of most birds that appeared in our bit of Wales. It was a bit buzzard like, but wasn't a buzzard - not at that hour anyway.

The call got closer and closer and I got a distinct sense it was coming towards the house from the south. At this point the call very distinctly circled, a wide circle around the house and over the surrounding fields, but centred more or less overhead. Finally after a single circuit it faded away again to the north.

I realise that it was, I'm sure, some sort of unfamiliar bird passing overhead but the whole thing had a very unsettling feeling to it.

That sort of behaviour sounds like a lone goose, separated from the flock and looking for them. One single goose does have a very 'whistly' sound to it, like the mew of a buzzard.

 

[feen5]

If it was a goose coming down to land then I would have known about it as it would have been splattered all over one of the nearby houses in the estate (judging by the speed it was going). I don't know how to describe it properly and I just wish that there was someone else there to see it as well. As I said I don't know what it was and probably never will and I guess its not really important either.

 

[maximus otter]

If it was a goose coming down to land then I would have known about it as it would have been splattered all over one of the nearby houses in the estate (judging by the speed it was going). I don't know how to describe it properly and I just wish that there was someone else there to see it as well. As I said I don't know what it was and probably never will and I guess its not really important either.

maximus otter