It was an average summer day for us ten-year-olds. It was a day just like any other before it. We saw the same people, we watched the same cars drive by, and we heard the same animals making the same noises they always make. There we were, the four us, taking a break from playing basketball and for some reason I looked up.
There it was the biggest bird I had ever seen flying out of the western sky, but I wasn’t sure it really was a bird. When I first saw it I was certain it was one of those custom made biplanes, that was just made to look like a bird. However, I noticed there wasn’t any noise coming from it’s engines. That’s when the beast’s wings flapped. It was at that time I realized I was actually staring at a bird bigger then any I had ever seen in my life.
I shouted at my three friends to look up, partly so they could see this giant bird and partly so I’d have someone to tell me if I was seeing things or not. At the time I wasn’t sure if any of them did look up, my eyes were fixed on the bird. I continued to watch it as it flew over my house, then off into the eastern sky. The entire sighting was only about 30 seconds, but those 30 seconds were etched into my mind forever.
The bird itself was probably around 6 to 10 feet in length. As for it’s wingspan, I am certain that it was at least around 25 feet, maybe bigger. It was a dark brown color with no other marks that I could see. On thing that stands out in my mind is it’s huge claws. I had seen both vultures and birds of prey’s claws and something about these made me think of a bird of prey. The only part of the bird that I didn’t get a good look at was it’s head. All I can remember seeing is it’s beak, and that was only for a brief moment.
As for the other three witnesses, I am certain that two of them saw the bird too. As for the third one, he wasn’t around when I looked to see if anyone else was present after the bird was out of my view. As for one of the other witnesses, at the time of the sighting, and for a while after it, he agreed that we saw a rather large bird, but a couple of months after the sighting he said he didn’t remember seeing anything. As for the fourth witness, he has always agreed that we saw a giant bird that day. He remembers it being a dark color, but isn’t sure which color because the sun was in his eyes from his viewpoint. One thing we don’t agree on about the bird is it’s size. He thinks it was slightly bigger, around 12 feet with a wingspan of about 30 feet.
That sighting was seven years ago and to this day I’m not sure what it was. I know it wasn’t a vulture or a hawk of some kind, because I see those all the time around here. After reading about thunderbirds I believe that is what it was. I just wish I could get a glimpse of it again, one then I can be certain if all I saw was my imagination taking over for a moment, or a truly massive bird roaming the Midwestern skies.
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