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The Redfern Files
Feb 15 2007

Sky Monsters

Okay, I know that this blog is supposed to be about UFOs. And this post technically isn’t. Well, actually it is, in the sense that it deals with a new book written by a friend of mine in Texas: cryptozoologist, Ken Gerhard, that focuses on something distinctly unidentified and most definitely flying, so that makes it a UFO in my book.

The subject matter? The infamous Thunderbird that haunts the skies of mainland USA (and particularly Texas) and Mexico. The book is titled Big Bird! Modern Sightings of Flying Monsters and is published by the good people at the Center for Fortean Zoology.

Here’s the blurb for the book (and it’s a title that I definitely recommend you get your hands on):

“The Indians called it the Thunderbird, a winged monster so vast that the beating of its mighty pinions sounded like thunder. But this ancient beast is not to be held in the cage of mythology. Today, from all over the dusty U.S. / Mexican border come hair-raising stories of modern day encounters with winged monsters of immense size and terrifying appearance. Further field sightings of similar creatures are recorded from all around the globe. The Kongamato of Africa, the Ropen of New Guinea and many others. What lies behind these weird tales? Ken Gerhard is in pole position to find out. A native Texan, he lives in the homeland of the monster some call ‘Big Bird’. Cryptozoologist, author, adventurer, and gothic musician Ken is a larger than life character as amazing as the Big Bird itself. Ken’s scholarly work is the first of its kind. The research and fieldwork involved are indeed impressive. On the track of the monster, Ken uncovers cases of animal mutilations, attacks on humans and mounting evidence of a stunning zoological discovery ignored by mainstream science. Something incredible awaits us on the broad desert horizon. Keep watching the skies! With a foreword by Cryptozoologist and Author Jonathan Downes and illustrations by cryptozoology and wildlife artist William Rebsamen.

Keep watching the skies!”

Indeed, I couldn’t have put it better: keep watching the skies.

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8 Comments to “Sky Monsters”

  1. seeinisbeeleevin Says:

    A book I will definitely get as I find the Thunderbird every bit as fascinating as that other North American cryptid - Bigfoot. Thanks for letting us know of its publication.

  2. Greg Taylor Says:

    In The Mothman Prophecies, Keel writes of the Thunderbird “It was accompanied by loud noises, hums, buzzes and apparently, rumbles from the infrasonic and ultrasonic levels.”

    Does anyone know Keel’s source for this? I’ve seen the thunder/rumble aspect on numerous occasions, but the hum/buzz attribution is extremely interesting - but I haven’t seen it anywhere except in TMP. Nick, do you know if Ken Gerhard covers this?

    Kind regards,
    Greg

  3. Bill Hancock Says:

    Whenever I think of the Thunderbird I think of Rodan, the flying Japanese mega-pteranodon, and of a hilarious looking rubber turkey-buzzard “from outer space” in a fifties hoot titled “The Giant Claw”. After I think of those images, and laugh, I settle myself down to more seriously contemplate the subject….because to many people this is a VERY serious subject. People have seen these things for centuries and the people doing the seeing have certainly not all been drunks and psychotics by a long shot.
    Hopefully, one of these days we’ll get a better handle on what it is we’re dealing with here; some sort of giant condor?, some prehistoric survival?, some zooform tulpa creation?, all of the above?, none of the above? Something else entirely? Y’know, truth to tell, the earth and the universe are just chock full of interesting, intriguing mysteries, and their being there to ponder is about half the fun…or more…of being alive. So go to it, Thunderbird! Stir our interest and get our little grey cells working in overdrive! We love it.

  4. Smylex Says:

    thanks for the heads up! I’m going to have to pick this one up. My intrest in the ‘thunderbirds’ are growing everyday.

  5. Nick Redfern Says:

    Greg:

    No, I’m not sure exactly what the complete breakdown of the book’s content is, but Ken has been investigating this for a long time, so I think it should be a good, in-depth study.

    Smilex/Seein:

    Yeah it seems that this book is creating a good buzz already and hopefully it will do well.

  6. Greg Bishop Says:

    The title of the post reminded me of Trevor Constable’s book, entitled “They Live In The Sky” and his argument that UFOs were living creatures that used our atmosphere as their environment. To my recollection, no one else has pursued this line of thought.

  7. Remus Says:

    Mark Hall is my favorite authority on this subject. I was aquainted with him many years ago in Minneapolis and have been a fan ever since. His book “Thunderbirds” is a must.

  8. BoyintheMachine Says:

    To Bill Hancock:

    “Whenever I think of the Thunderbird I think of Rodan, the flying Japanese mega-pteranodon, and of a hilarious looking rubber turkey-buzzard “from outer space””

    Funny, because I think of “Mothra” when there is talk of ‘the Mothman.’

    -Jason Gammon

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