Phoenix...or something else?

Hi all.

I was around six or seven years old when this incident happened, but I still remember it fairly clearly. It was, after all, rather unusual.

I was at my apartment with my grandmother watching the birds outside of my window. After a period of time, my grandma left to go to the restroom and I continued watching.

A few seconds after she left, I saw a large bright reddish bird fly from the left of the area I was watching (though it seemed like it was out of nowhere) to the right of same in a rather graceful manner. It then doubled back to the left and then back to the right, vanishing back into the nowhere it seemed to have come from with a slight glint of light.

When my grandmother came back, I didn't tell her about the incident.

For my younger life I figured it was just a robin, but thinking back on it I didn't notice any of the black areas on the bird like typical robins have. When I heard about the legend of the Phoenix, I jokingly thought that perhaps that was what I saw. Now...well...I'm wondering, to say the least.

If it makes any difference, it was autumn in central Minnesota when I saw this bird. It was also around the time that my father was at a nursing home dying, if that makes for a reason to possibly connect seeing this creature with spiritual reasons.

Any thoughts would be helpful. =)

Could you give more details about the bird itself? You've said that it was red, but to me that would mean a cardinal.

Perhaps more detailed description could get you an accurate identification.

That would be nice if you would give us a little more details about your sighting of this so called phoenix thanks man i would really like to hear more.

Well, since I was pretty young at the time (and not to mention I needed glasses badly), I really can't give you much more than this.

Body was mostly a reddish colour (but it's a hard to explain red - like a really really deep but still bright red)

Sort of a yellowish glow (you know, like when the sun hits something and it reflects? Yeah, it was a little bit like that, but softer.)

Rather large both in body and wingspan (like an eagle or some other large bird.)

If that's not the sort of information you want, let me know what it is you're looking for and I'll try to unlock that memory again for you.

Thanks.

Maybe light reflecting in the window was making illusions, making a red bird seem 'magical'?

I dunno. It could be, but I never noticed sunlight reflecting off anything out my window before except on "shiny things" (e.g. car hoods and such).

I don't know much of anything about Phoenixes or birds at all for that matter, so I'll sit this one out.

I might be wrong, but aren't phoenix's supposed to be covered in fire?

Yes, they are supposed to be enveloped in flames, so I would most likely say it could be a Cardinal, I have some doubts about the Phoenix Hypothesis, mainly because of the location being Minnesota. I think it could be migratory brd, but I don't have any knowledge in that area, lol. Anyone know of any such birds?

I think phoenix is a mythological bird, ever thought about a thunderbird?

Isn't a thunderbird a type of car?

Originally posted by NegativeCreep
Isn't a thunderbird a type of car?

So is a jaguar!

Originally posted by NegativeCreep
I dunno. It could be, but I never noticed sunlight reflecting off anything out my window before except on "shiny things" (e.g. car hoods and such).

Oh, birds can definately be 'shiny'.

i saw a bird today i was looking across my field when is bright red bird apreared out of nowhere and it wasnt small it had a 5 foot long wing spand.

[edit on 3-2-2005 by The Exiled One]

The Pheonix is a legendary bird. I'm sure most Romans (or Greeks, whoever) didn't actually believe it to be a physical being.

And thinking back (how many years? 10? 15? 20?), not remembering a detail liek small black spots is to be expected.

Okay, then...if it wasn't something like that (I doubted it was, but it was a nice thought)...what was it?
I'm not trying to make it into something else, but I really don't think it was a cardinal. It was too big.
Hmmm...maybe a stray parrot?

www.cryptozoology.com...


like i was saying before, thunderbird...lol, its both a car and animal, ooohhh, so hardcore

LOL. Looks pretty believable, though.

What? A bird flew into your view and then flew out of it when you were six and you think its a phoenix?

Scarlet Tanager: The habitat of the scarlet tanager includes all of the eastern United States as well as parts of central and South America. The Scarlet Tanager’s breeding area includes large portions of Minnesota and their breeding plumage would make them bright red matching most of the description you gave. The only problem is that they breed in this are mainly in the summer so depending on how late in autumn you say your mystery bird this may not be a viable option. Also, the wingspan is far too small to match in my opinion unless time has altered your perception of the events.
birds.cornell.edu...

Robin: An obvious candidate as it is very common in north America however again the size of the bird does not match your recollection of the sighting. You also expressly stated that it did not have any black as robins do making this a very unlikely choice.
www.audubonportland.org...

Cardinal: This is another bird common in north America but again the size at approximately 7.75 inches does not match your description.
freepages.history.rootsweb.com...

Scarlet ibis: This is a strange choice based solely on location as it normally resides in tropical areas. Its size is approximately 22inches in length making it the closest I can find that matches your description.
www.aqua.org...

I would write off the yellow glow as simply a trick of light. I have heard people mention the phoenix as a possibility; however, their mythology clearly states that the creature is engulfed in flame which I believe you would remember very vividly had you seen this.

I hope one of these gives you peace of mind as to what you saw that day, if not you may have to consider that due to your age at the time your perception of the event may have been very diluted. When we are younger things often appear larger then they actually are as they are larger in relation to ourselves. A fully grown person may remember something from childhood as being much larger then it actually is. Also, as you mentioned, it has been a long time since this event took place so many details that could point to a logical conclusion may have been lost.

-id

Originally posted by Nygdan
What? A bird flew into your view and then flew out of it when you were six and you think its a phoenix?

Pardon me, but I'm allowed to ask questions, no matter how stupid they may sound. Yeah, sure, it sounds dumb to think that (even to myself), but I was going through some incredibly tough times and it was nice just to think that maybe someone or something was looking out for me.
I'm new at this stuff - I joined because I wanted to learn. And how else am I gonna learn if I don't ask questions? I'm curious and naive. Sue me.

I like that Ibis. It's pretty. =)

I'm beginning to wonder if it wasn't a loose bird or something (like a parrot) since, for some reason, we seem to get a lot of them.
Yeah. I know. Tropical pet birds in freezing MN. Go figure.