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| Mawnan Old Church |
ARE THERE UNIDENTIFIED FLYING CRYPTIDS IN THE BRITISH ISLES?
Could there be UFC'S (Unidentified Flying Cryptids) in the British Isles?
There certainly seem to be some reports throughout the country of what in some cases appear to be pterosaur-like creatures, very large predatory birds, giant headless bats and also a bipedal man - like owl.
Surely a country so thoroughly explored and inhabited like Britain could not be hiding a population, however small, of prehistoric pterosaurs, a giant species of raptor or even a giant bipedal man-like owl, could it? Well, the witnesses of these extraordinary creatures would certainly say so. Some of whom have been so affected by their experiences that they can still remember every detail of their sightings many years later.
Surely a country so thoroughly explored and inhabited like Britain could not be hiding a population, however small, of prehistoric pterosaurs, a giant species of raptor or even a giant bipedal man-like owl, could it? Well, the witnesses of these extraordinary creatures would certainly say so. Some of whom have been so affected by their experiences that they can still remember every detail of their sightings many years later.
Are we talking about a resident breeding population of these animals? I would say no! Overall, it would seem that these sightings are rare and relatively few in number and more would be expected if such outlandish creatures regularly frequented the countryside. The reasons for the sightings can only be speculated upon, but I suspect that like many known avian species in our tiny island, that the occasional sightings we have recorded might possibly be due to Britain being part of a migratory journey these creatures make. A jumping off point or a rest stop if you will, on a long transatlantic journey or a superhighway to the uttermost parts of the North.
In examining these creatures, it is important to paint an accurate portrait of what the witnesses have seen, remembering that; when unrelated witnesses describe the same experiences and give corroborative statements under traumatic circumstances, that it can be accepted as valid testimony and immovable fact (a fact that is, in the sense of the perceived similarity and continuity of what they believe they saw!)
So, I suppose the question is what are they and where are they? The first two of these mysterious reports come from the very 'cryptozoologically' productive areas of Kent on the south east coast of England and the very mysterious Celtic annex of Cornwall on the far south west coast of the country.
So, I suppose the question is what are they and where are they? The first two of these mysterious reports come from the very 'cryptozoologically' productive areas of Kent on the south east coast of England and the very mysterious Celtic annex of Cornwall on the far south west coast of the country.
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| The Owlman of Mawnan |
THE OWLMAN OF MAWNAN:
Starting with the most well known of these creatures, 'The Owlman of Mawnan' or 'The Death Raptor', what is it we find described by these witnesses? Well, we hear the first witnesses who were in fact children, ages 9 & 12 claim they saw a Birdman hovering above the tower of Mawnan Old Church. The young girls are said to have run away and directly reported the incident to the police. they were taken to separate rooms to give their statements and allegedly sketched exactly the same creature.
The effect of the fear of this sighting upon the girls and the impression it made upon their families seems apparent, in that their holiday was cut short and they immediately left the area.
Another sighting occurred when several witnesses saw a large Man like Owl sitting on a large branch in a pine tree. The witnesses were initially convinced that someone was playing a prank on them until the creature took off and flew away. Curiously, they claimed to hear a crackling sound like static electricity after the creature left. There have been other sightings over the years around the churchyard of people seeing red lights floating over the Church roof.
Starting with the most well known of these creatures, 'The Owlman of Mawnan' or 'The Death Raptor', what is it we find described by these witnesses? Well, we hear the first witnesses who were in fact children, ages 9 & 12 claim they saw a Birdman hovering above the tower of Mawnan Old Church. The young girls are said to have run away and directly reported the incident to the police. they were taken to separate rooms to give their statements and allegedly sketched exactly the same creature.
The effect of the fear of this sighting upon the girls and the impression it made upon their families seems apparent, in that their holiday was cut short and they immediately left the area.
Another sighting occurred when several witnesses saw a large Man like Owl sitting on a large branch in a pine tree. The witnesses were initially convinced that someone was playing a prank on them until the creature took off and flew away. Curiously, they claimed to hear a crackling sound like static electricity after the creature left. There have been other sightings over the years around the churchyard of people seeing red lights floating over the Church roof.
The Owlman is described as being 5-6ft tall, grey/brown and feathered with a wingspan 10ft across. It is bipedal in appearance, with red glowing eyes and is said to emit a screeching or hissing noise.
THE BAT BEAST OF KENT:
One evening in November 1963, 4 teenage friends were walking home from a party in the county of Kent when they saw a mysterious flickering light descend in to a nearby field in Sandling Park and make its way in to some trees at the edge of the park. The 4 teens noticed a rustling in the brush and were shocked when a figure emerged and waddled towards them. The creature was described by the witnesses as looking like a bipedal, headless bat, it was completely black and around 5-feet tall, with big webbed feet and wings on its back. One of the witnesses was convinced that it did not have a head!
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| The Bat Beast of Kent |
Another story of an Unidentified Flying Cryptid in the British isles, comes from Glamorgan, Wales.
THE PENLLYN PARROT:
The woods around Penllyn Castle, Glamorgan, were said to be the home of winged
serpents that terrified the local population as late as the early 1900s. An old man, who had been a lifelong inhabitant of the area claimed that they still existed when he was a child and said that his father and uncle had killed some of them. The winged serpents were described as being very beautiful with eyes like the feathers in a peacock's tail, head crests sparkling with all the colours of the rainbow and appeared as if they were covered with jewels. They were coiled when resting and would glide swiftly to their hiding places if disturbed or swoop over people's heads if annoyed. The old man attributed the extinction of the winged serpents to their preying on poultry and being terrors in the farmyards.
This matter of fact rural description of their appearance and explanation for their extinction, delivered in the plain Welsh style, would seem to add a lot of credibility to this story.
serpents that terrified the local population as late as the early 1900s. An old man, who had been a lifelong inhabitant of the area claimed that they still existed when he was a child and said that his father and uncle had killed some of them. The winged serpents were described as being very beautiful with eyes like the feathers in a peacock's tail, head crests sparkling with all the colours of the rainbow and appeared as if they were covered with jewels. They were coiled when resting and would glide swiftly to their hiding places if disturbed or swoop over people's heads if annoyed. The old man attributed the extinction of the winged serpents to their preying on poultry and being terrors in the farmyards.
This matter of fact rural description of their appearance and explanation for their extinction, delivered in the plain Welsh style, would seem to add a lot of credibility to this story.
FIERY DRAGONS OR BIO-LUMINESCENCE:
I am not really in favour of a supernatural explanation for these sightings.
The creatures, although unknown to science, still match the description of animals in both behaviour and appearance. The glowing red eyes of the Owlman could simply be a form of bioluminescence, a trait that was recently ascribed to owls, although still not scientifically accepted. We also have other flying Cryptids, like the Mothman of Point Pleasant, described as having glowing red eyes, and the Ropen of Papua New Guinea whose abdomen is purported to produce bioluminescence, to support this theory. (Witnesses of the Ropen have often described seeing an orb like light that flickered in a very similar way to the Bat Beast of Kent.)
Tales of Fiery Flying Dragons can be found in many cultures and ancient manuscripts, like The Bible, and are still reported in recent times.
I often wonder if what these ancients saw as fiery dragons, were actually in many cases just their misconception of the animals bio-luminescence as being some type of supernatural fire.
A SHOT IN THE DARK:
There are of course many sightings of large birdlike creatures in the UK that could easily be mistaken (especially in the dark) for some mysterious cryptid. This year alone there have been several very large birds spotted visiting our shores, one of which, a Giant Romanian Pelican, was photographed in Plymouth. This bird can stand 6 feet high and has a wingspan of 11 feet. There was also a recorded sighting of the Lammergeier buzzard in Monmouth, as well as an escaped Giant Rhea Bird in Nottinghamshire, an aggressive Ostrich like bird that grows to six feet in height. One might feel that they had seen something truly strange if they were to encounter one of these birds at night in some lonely place. However, mistaken identity, even with birds as impressive in stature and out of place as these cannot quite explain away sightings like The Owlman or Bat Beast or even The Penllyn Parrots. It would seem certain that Britain is on occasion a host for many rare avian species and very possibly some we have yet to discover!
Other less detailed sightings of UFC's (Unidentified Flying Cryptids) are listed below:
(Sourced from the Paranormal Database)
Cumbria Pterosaur:
Location: Beckermet (Cumbria) - Nursery Woods
Date / Time: January 2006
Further Comments: A witness reported a large pterosaur-like creature flying above Nursery woods.
Location: Beckermet (Cumbria) - Nursery Woods
Date / Time: January 2006
Further Comments: A witness reported a large pterosaur-like creature flying above Nursery woods.
Eagle/Pterosaur
Location: Bradford (Yorkshire) - Skies above the town
Date / Time: 1982 / 83
Further Comments: A large bird seen in the skies above the town was originally identified as an eagle or an escaped condor by its witnesses; twenty years later a few of them now claim it to have been a pterodactyl.
Date / Time: 1982 / 83
Further Comments: A large bird seen in the skies above the town was originally identified as an eagle or an escaped condor by its witnesses; twenty years later a few of them now claim it to have been a pterodactyl.
Large Bird
Location: Chard (Somerset) - High Street
Date / Time: February 1975
Further Comments: A witness watched a huge bird, with a fourteen foot wingspan, pass overhead. Moving with great haste, it quickly disappeared over nearby shops.
Date / Time: February 1975
Further Comments: A witness watched a huge bird, with a fourteen foot wingspan, pass overhead. Moving with great haste, it quickly disappeared over nearby shops.
Dark Blue Bird
Location: Chapel le Dale (Yorkshire) - Cave system in the village
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Three people reported seeing a large flying creature, 'much larger than a bat', slowly glide past them as they explored the first cavern of these caves.
Date / Time: Twentieth century
Further Comments: Three people reported seeing a large flying creature, 'much larger than a bat', slowly glide past them as they explored the first cavern of these caves.
Giant Bat
Location: Exeter (Devon) - Magdalen Road
Date / Time: 25 May 2000
Further Comments: A witness walking down the road late at night stated he watched a giant bat, with a wingspan of 1.2 metres, swoop around the churchyard along this road.
Date / Time: 25 May 2000
Further Comments: A witness walking down the road late at night stated he watched a giant bat, with a wingspan of 1.2 metres, swoop around the churchyard along this road.
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