FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES

In an article for the first edition of Cryptozoology Bernard Heuvelmans wrote that cryptozoology is the study of 'unexpected animals' and following on from that perfectly reasonable assertion, it seems to us that whereas the study of out-of-place birds may not have the glamour of the hunt for bigfoot or lake monsters, it is still a perfectly valid area for the Fortean zoologist to be interested in. So after about six months of regular postings on the main bloggo Corinna took the plunge and started a 'Watcher of the Skies' blog of her own as part of the CFZ Bloggo Network.

• Heavy metal hurting native birds
• Rainfall to blame for decline in Arctic peregrines...
• Eight-year long wait: 30 rare white pelicans pay s...
• Conservancy buys Lake Mich. bird stopover island

DALE DRINNON: Yowie, Sasquatch, Frontiers of Anthropology, Benny's Blogs

New at the Frontiers of Zoology:

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2013/12/yowie-and-eastern-bigfoot-solo.html

http://frontiersofzoology.blogspot.com/2013/12/you-tube-video-mans-terrifying.html

New at the Frontiers of Anthropology:

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2013/12/native-american-zodiac.html

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2013/12/zinjanthropus-gerts-update.html

http://frontiers-of-anthropology.blogspot.com/2013/12/meteor-confirmed-as-cause-of-loud-boom.html

New at Benny's Other Blog, the Ominous Octopus Omnibus:

http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-hunchback-wow-comics-1941.html

http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2013/12/broadway-babes-dizzy-dames-4.html

http://bennypdrinnon.blogspot.com/2013/12/batty-beatrice-dizzy-dames-4.html

Best Wishes, Dale D.

TODAY'S BIG CAT ROUND UP

The hunt for British Big Cats attracts far more newspaper-column inches than any other cryptozoological subject. 

There are so many of them now that we feel that they should be archived by us in some way, so we are publishing a regular round-up of the stories as they come in. 

The worldwide mystery cat phenomenon (or group of phenomena, if we are to be more accurate) is not JUST about cryptozoology. At its most basic level it is about the relationship between our species and various species of larger cat. That is why, sometimes, you will read stories here which appear to have nothing to do with cryptozoology, but have everything to do with human/big cat interaction. As committed Forteans, we believe that until we understand the nature of these interactions, we have no hope of understanding the truth that we are seeking. 

AUSTRALIAN SIGHTING: Big cat mystery deepens as zo...

UK SIGHTINGS: Big Cat Fears Following Series Of Vi...

NEWLINK: Louisiana 'Black Panther' Mystery Solved

VIDEO: Lion attacks

UK SIGHTINGS: MoD chiefs 'hid evidence' of big cat...

VIDEO: Black Jaguar Roaring

VIDEO: Big Cat sightings on Exmoor (Documentary)

VIDEO: Pure Nature Specials : Tigers Fighting Back...

AUSTRALIA SIGHTING: Mystery big cats roaming 1930s...

UK SIGHTING: Mystery cats: Still elusive after all...

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN DESERVES A WELL-EARNED SLEEP

The Gonzo Daily - Saturday

www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/about.html

Last night I didn't get to bed until some truly stupid time this morning. But I managed to finish both a manuscript I had been working on and this week's edition of 'Gonzo Weekly' which will be out later today when Corinna has proofed it, and contains interviews with Jaki Windmill, David from XNA, Doug Harr on electronica and a whole slew of other good stuff. Look out for it. On a downer, though, I don't think I have ever done so many obituaries in an issue with Colin Wilson, nelson Mandela and Junior Murvin all being remembered. I want to apologise to various compadres (especially Graham Barmer) for having slipped under the radar a bit this week. Family issues, health issues, and general nonsense have got in the way a bit. However, with a bit of luck and a fair wind, I shall be back on track on Monday or Tuesday...

Another visit to our old friend Thom the World Poet
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/thom-world-poet-daily-poem_7.html

Today's Track of the Day is by Mick Abrahams
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-gonzo-track-of-day-mick-abrahams.html

Vangelis on Al Jazeera
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/vangelis-on-al-jazeera.html

Geoff Downes, Anne-Marie Helder Collaboration Gets Full Release
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/geoff-downes-anne-marie-helder.html

Dutch act Sky Architect get 'spacey' with A Billion Years of Solitude
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/dutch-act-sky-architect-get-spacey-with.html

Playlist for Strange Fruit #48
http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/strange-fruit-48.html

*  The Gonzo Daily is a two way process. If you have any news or want to write for us, please contact me at  jon@eclipse.co.uk. If you are an artist and want to showcase your work, or even just say hello please write to me at gonzo@cfz.org.uk. Please copy, paste and spread the word about this magazine as widely as possible. We need people to read us in order to grow, and as soon as it is viable we shall be invading more traditional magaziney areas. Join in the fun, spread the word, and maybe if we all chant loud enough we CAN stop it raining. See you tomorrow...

*  The Gonzo Daily is - as the name implies - a daily online magazine (mostly) about artists connected to the Gonzo Multimedia group of companies. But it also has other stuff as and when the editor feels like it. The same team also do a weekly newsletter called - imaginatively - The Gonzo Weekly. Find out about it at this link: www.gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.com/2012/11/all-gonzo-news-wots-fit-to-print.html

* We should probably mention here, that some of our posts are links to things we have found on the internet that we think are of interest. We are not responsible for spelling or factual errors in other people's websites. Honest guv!

*  Jon Downes, the Editor of all these ventures (and several others) is an old hippy of 54 who - together with his orange cat (who is currently on sick leave in Staffordshire) and two very small kittens (one of whom is also orange) puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish, and sometimes a small Indian frog. He is ably assisted by his lovely wife Corinna, his bulldog/boxer Prudence, his elderly mother-in-law, and a motley collection of social malcontents. Plus.. did we mention the orange cat?

MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: THE MINI HONG KONG SEA MONSTER THAT WASN`T?

Waves wash up on the beaches of "monsters" in April of this year [2013] via a small beach, walking along the intertidal zone, I found a couple of small "Monster". For an unknown identity, I am trying to put pictures on the iNaturalist Web site. However, the "request" button, still no data available. United States friends Nagai inland seashore creatures have relatively little known, but never mind, bio-strange things in the world, which failed to identify, in eco-site far more than do?

Now start with "Monster". "The monster" only a finger length, body lurched, full of young and thin spines on either side, forms like centipedes, just head is not a river, but into a leech-like, but worth mentioning is, the head (do not know whether I actually called the head), in addition to the estuary, there seemed to be less than any other organ. In fact, some time at the beach while swimming, has seen the monster in the water, he also understands a little swimming, paddling, is young and thin spines on either side of the body, but her swimming skills are very poor, and I think earthworms in water, roll out, the body faster than he swam. Oceans is little explored local, unknown, grotesque creatures may land more, is this what then? Do you have any idea? Is a little bit is welcome. (Translated by Bing)

Apparently the above photographs,if Jon has been able to transpose them from my copy and paste effort from Facebook, show the “ golden fireworm”, according to Hsung Tsun Chen. The story was posted by Peter Parker on November 24th 2013 on the HKWildlife FB site and apparently shows a marine creature more often found in reefs in the tropical W. Atlantic according to one web site. . I say “that wasn`t” in my blog title as it appears to be a known species but very rare or unknown in Hong Kong, but I haven`t bothered to check up online to verify that last point. I am sorry about the poor translation,blame Bing whoever he/she/they/it/them are!! Another issue( Jon or someone please correct me here) is that Hong Kong doesn`t exactly have reefs as far as I recall, at least not extensive coral reefs. Of course the text doesn`t say Hong Kong but I presume it`s there.

Flying Snake 6 is at the printers right now, featuring mystery cats in Malaga, Spain, oop alligator gar in China, giant spiders in Colorado and nightmares about World War 3.

COLIN WILSON (1931-2013)

Colin Henry Wilson (26 June 1931 – 5 December 2013) was a prolific English writer who first came to prominence as a philosopher and novelist. Wilson also wrote widely on true crime, mysticism, the paranormal, and other topics. He preferred calling his philosophy new existentialism or phenomenological existentialism. It is always strange writing an obituary for a man that I knew. I didn't know him well, but our paths crossed two or three times in the course of my chequered career.

I first met him at the Exeter University Science Fiction Club conference in 1989, when he gave a fascinating talk on the subject of Peak Experiences, and afterwards he and I spoke for several hours about the philosophy of Abraham Maslow, who - it turned out had been a friend and colleague of his.

I met him again, many years later, at one of the Fortean Times Unconventions when we stayed at the same hotel and talked existentialist politics late into the night. Together with Mick Farren and John Michell he was one of the few truly great men that I have met, and tonight my heart is heavy with the knowledge that I will not be meeting him again.

OLL LEWIS: Yesterday's News Today

http://cryptozoologynews.blogspot.com/

On this day in 1995 Galileo arrived at Jupiter and started to orbit the planet. While there it took atmospheric readings of Jupiter, its rings and its moons.
And now the news:

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Domestication of Dogs May Have Elaborated On a Pre...

Texas lizards and weasels -Editorial Houston Chron...

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A high tech computer animation of Galileo's eventual demise. It is almost as if you were there:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBCS-bP6Uck