A super-sized bird in Alaska (done - nine years later)

www.knoxstudio.com...

By PETER PORCO
Anchorage Daily News
October 15, 2002

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A giant winged creature, like something out of Jurassic Park, has reportedly been sighted several times in Southwest Alaska in recent weeks.

Villagers in Togiak and Manokotak say they have seen a huge bird that's much bigger than anything they have seen before.

A pilot says he spotted the creature while flying passengers to Manokotak last week. He calculated that its wingspan matched the length of a wing on his Cessna 207. That's about 14 feet.

Other people have put the wingspan in a similar range.

Scientists aren't sure what to make of the reports. No one doubts that people in the region west of Dillingham have seen a very large rapto-like bird. But biologists and other people familiar with big Alaska birds say they're skeptical it's that big.

A recent sighting of the mystery bird occurred Oct. 10 when Moses Coupchiak, a 43-year-old heavy equipment operator from Togiak, 40 miles west of Manokotak, saw the bird flying toward him from about two miles away as he worked his tractor.

"At first I thought it was one of those old-time Otter planes," Coupchiak said. "Instead of continuing toward me, it banked to the left, and that's when I noticed it wasn't a plane."

The bird was "something huge," he said. "The wing looks a little wider than the Otter's, maybe as long as the Otter plane."

The bird flew behind a hill and disappeared. Coupchiak got on the radio and warned people in Togiak to tell their children to stay away.

Pilot John Bouker said he was highly skeptical of reports of "this great big eagle" that is two or three times the size of a bald eagle. "I didn't put any thought into it."

But early this week while flying into Manokotak, Bouker, owner of Bristol Bay Air Service, looked out his left window and 1,000 feet away, "there's this big ... . bird," he said.

"The people in the plane all saw him," Bouker said. "He's huge, he's huge, he's really, really big. You wouldn't want to have your children out."

Nicolai Alakayak, a freight and passenger driver from Manokotak who was flying with Bouker, said the creature looked like an eagle and was as large as "a little Super Cub."

Comparison to an eagle, certainly. Super Cub? Probably not, scientists said.

"I'm certainly not aware of anything with a 14-foot wingspan that's been alive for the last 100,000 years," said federal raptor specialist Phil Schemf in Juneau.

Schemf, other biologists, a village police officer and teachers at the Manokotak School said the sightings could be of a Steller's sea eagle, a species native to northeast Asia and one of the world's largest eagles. It's about 50 percent bigger than a bald eagle.

If this is true, where the hell is it coming from?

there may be an explanation but who knows if its right
it may have been a Thunderbird, a creature that would fit into the cryptozoology category but who knows

www.cryptozoology.com...

u guys are so stupid you believe every single # on internet,yous are as stupid as the poeple that make those webpages!!!

HAHAHAAHAHAJ

What the heck is your problem? Can you prove they don't exist?

Thats Awesome if its real...and if there have been several reports of it in the past weeks, "hopefully" we will see some photos or video of it.

maybe an albatross?

www.swishweb.com...

Without proof, only a small amount are going to believe its authenticity. Although, there have been many reports like this before, I remember some time back it was posted about some giant animal somewhere in Africa I believe...could it be the same thing? I thought it was a report of a "dinosauric-looking flying creature"...

Could they be related???

-wD

I have actually heard many reports of this in that general area. Stranger things have happened. Perhaps it is just a known bird that has some sort of growth problem. Hell, it has happened in humans, so why not birds.

"Robert Wadlow's height of 8' 11.1" qualifies him as the tallest person in history, as recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records. At the time of his death he weighed 490 pounds. His clothing required three times the normal amount of cloth, and his size 37 shoes cost $100.00 a pair (a lot of money back in the 1930's). "

www.hazardkentucky.com...


So I believe that it is possible, but you know me. I want to see the corpse.

Originally posted by James the Lesser
What the heck is your problem? Can you prove they don't exist?

I am not defending UberSoldat, because I dont think it was the best idea to call everyone stupid for believing that. I am not saying that I believe the story about the giant birds. But, he believes they do not exist, you do. If you do not know what Burden of Proof is, that means it is up to the person making the positive claim to supply evidence. UberSoldat is justified in his non belief because of lack of evidence. Just thought I would put in my two sense...not bashing anyone

If there really are multiple independent witnesses then it suggests there's something real. The most likely explanation would simply be a random occurrence of animal gigantism. It happens. The witness accounts of it having the wingspan of a small airplane must be wildly exaggerated.

Gigantism (from Greek gigas, gigantos "giant") is a pathology consisting of an anomalous body development, characterised by an excessive growth with respect to the medium height of an individual of the same age, species and ancestry

[Edited on 20-2-2004 by Condorcet]

There were credible sightings of this bird, by various people here in Alaska. A bush pilot, a farmer, and several by natives in villages. But, no pictures....Anyhow, the natives believe it comes from "The Other world" - the entry to same is in the vicinity of the North Pole.
The story was relayed last year through various local news agencies here. And recieved much attention.

Non-flying:

"The Elephant Bird is thought to have been the inspiration for the Roc (or Ruhk) made famous in the stories of Sinbad and the accounts of Marco Polo. While Aepyornis was by no means as large and terrible as the elephant-eating Roc, it WAS the largest bird that ever lived. The flightless bird grew to around ten or eleven feet tall, and is estimated to have weighed up to 1100 pounds. By comparison, a BIG Ostrich will go eight feet and 300 pounds. Only the largest of the New Zealand Moas were taller, some reaching thirteen feet, but they weren't as massively built."
The cool thing is that it was during man's time.
users.aristotle.net...

Flying
Argentavis magnificens spans its wings over 8 m and stands 3.5 m from tip of tail to end of beak.
www.grisda.org...

Maybe its a wayward Giant Condor. Condor's have a huge wingspan. Much larger then an Eagle.

Actually, having lived in Kodiak, AK before, I can tell you that a Thunderbird like creature is almost as common in the folklore as any normal animal is... It's featured at the top of many totem poles, and is widely reported... For those who haven't lived there, you must realize that most of Alaska isn't populated....at all. Therefore it'd be extremely easy for this bird to exist, yet remain mostly out of view...

I remember hearing reports of it myself, when young, but never did see one myself....though lots of eagles and other birds of prey.... I think it unlikely that a native Alaskan would confuse it with any other bird....

Originally posted by robertfenix
Maybe its a wayward Giant Condor. Condor's have a huge wingspan. Much larger then an Eagle.

"The California Condor is the largest flying land bird in North America. The Condor (Gymnogyps Californianus) can have a wingspan of 9 � feet and weigh up to 23 pounds. Similar to a Vulture, the Condor is mostly black and has a bare head and neck."

www.distant.ca...

HAHAHAHA! Someone just sent this to me and while we are on the topic of growth hormone abnormalities I thought that I would post it.

As was mentioned earlier this sounds alot like a thunderbird to me...



There are several reports and various types of large birds like this..


A few more pics

In Africa
Another North American Thunderbird