CRYPTOZOOLOGY ONLINE: Still on the Track: 10/03/16

WELCOME TO THE CFZ BLOG NETWORK: COME AND JOIN THE FUN

Half a century ago, Belgian Zoologist Bernard Heuvelmans first codified cryptozoology in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals.

The Centre for Fortean Zoology (CFZ) are still on the track, and have been since 1992. But as if chasing unknown animals wasn't enough, we are involved in education, conservation, and good old-fashioned natural history! We already have three journals, the largest cryptozoological publishing house in the world, CFZtv, and the largest cryptozoological conference in the English-speaking world, but in January 2009 someone suggested that we started a daily online magazine! The CFZ bloggo is a collaborative effort by a coalition of members, friends, and supporters of the CFZ, and covers all the subjects with which we deal, with a smattering of music, high strangeness and surreal humour to make up the mix.

It is edited by CFZ Director Jon Downes, and subbed by the lovely Lizzy Bitakara'mire (formerly Clancy), scourge of improper syntax. The daily newsblog is edited by Corinna Downes, head administratrix of the CFZ, and the indexing is done by Lee Canty and Kathy Imbriani. There is regular news from the CFZ Mystery Cat study group, and regular fortean bird news from 'The Watcher of the Skies'. Regular bloggers include Dr Karl Shuker, Dale Drinnon, Richard Muirhead and Richard Freeman.The CFZ bloggo is updated daily, and there's nothing quite like it anywhere else. Come and join us...

Monday, October 03, 2016

ANDREW MAY: Words from the Wild Frontier

News and stories from the remoter fringes of the CFZ blogosphere...

From Nick Redfern's World of Whatever:

A Monster Mimic...

From CFZ-USA:

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES

What has Corinna's column of Fortean bird news got to do with cryptozoology?

Well, everything, actually!

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.

FORTEAN BIRD NEWS FROM THE WATCHER OF THE SKIES

THYLACINE NEWS

Pursuit to find the Tasmanian tiger

dailytelegraph.com.au

COL Bailey is “100 per cent sure” that the thylacine — better known as the Tasmanian tiger — still runs wild on the Apple Isle. The retired landscape ...

BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF:

Bigfoot Encounter In The Wee Hours

Bigfoot Evidence

Hello everybody! Here we begin our final Bigfoot Campout series of the season and it's gonna be another great one! This time, we returned to the ...

Bigfoot Isn't The Only Giant Creature That Ever Lived

Bigfoot Evidence

There are plenty of giant-sized creatures that used to exist, that we today would think unbelievable. Is bigfoot a leftover from an ancient time like these ...

Creepy Video Of Possible Bigfoot Filmed Out Window

Bigfoot Evidence

This is an older video, reposted by NvTv, where a man captures video of what he believes is a possible bigfoot out behind his house one night.

The Crypto Files Takes A Look At Some Recent Bigfoot Photos

Before It's News

Bigfoot photos and video have been plentiful this month. A yeti at a ski resort, trail camera captures, even a bigfoot and a dog. The Crypto Files takes a ...

Rare Candid Interview With Bigfoot Scholar and Legend John Bindernagel

Bigfoot Evidence

Bigfoot Evidence. World's Only ... Rare Candid Interview With Bigfoot Scholar and Legend John Bindernagel ... Bigfoot and Boy Caught on Camera.

A Kid May Have Actually Filmed A Bigfoot From A Drone (Video)

Before It's News

Almost any Bigfoot researcher who can afford it are using drones these days. A lot of people are seasoned veterans of Bigfoot research but who would ...

Spooky Bigfoot Area Recorded On Video

Bigfoot Evidence

All kinds of strange structures and formations show up in this video that looks like something straight out of the Blair Witch movie. When you watch the ...

MUIRHEAD'S MYSTERIES: The Nottinghamshire Puffin

Here is a partial transcript of a blog by R B Parish on the Our Nottinghamshire Forum on November 13th 2013 about a puffin found at Wollaton in that county.

“In 1953 a curious ornithological find was made on the Oxton to Southwell in road by a Donald Brister of West Bridgford – a puffin a bird more familiar of the cliffs and rocks around our coast, not this rural scene. Mr. Brister named it Tussy and it became a local celebrity:

“ TUSSY THE PUFFIN GOES VISITING. Tussy the puffin went visiting yesterday. Five hundred children at the Musters-road infant school West Bridgford, queued up after afternoon classes to stroke Tussy and watch him splash about in an improvised tank. Tussy was found last weekend, limping along the South-Oxton road, by Mr. Donald Brister, of 18 Leahurst-gardens, West Bridgford. Mr Brister took him home and has looked after him ever since. Mr Brister’s six-and-a-half-year-old son, Roderick, is a pupil at the school, where the children take a keen interest in Nature studies; so Tussy was taken along to let the children have a look at him. Tussy lives in a box at Mr. Brister’s home, but so far has refused any food. The only thing which took his fancy was a tropical fish in Mr. Brister’s aquarium. But the plate glass kept him out.”They often go with food for a month” Mr. Brister said “They have to lose weight so that they can fly.” Mr Brister intends to look after the Puffin until he can return to his natural surroundings...”

His body presented it to the National History Museum at Wollaton. He was stuffed by their taxidermist, Leonard Wilde and it had remained in the collection ever since”

Later more information was provided about this anomalous puffin:." Newspaper cuttings record that Tussy lived in a box at Mr Brister`s home in Leahurst Gardens, West Bridgford but that the puffin apparently could not be induced to eat....

Mr Brister succeded in keeping Tussy alive for two weeks before he finally succumbed.

He was then passed to Mr L. Wilde, taxidermist at Nottingham's Natural History museum at Wollaton Hall, who may be seen in the lower picture preparing him for display in the museum.

Some More Nottinghamshire Puffins

Sightings of puffins (Fratercula artica) in the county of Nottinghamshire are - not surprisingly - few and far between. They are normally birds of the open sea, except when breeding on cliffs or islands. Those which are encountered inland are almost certainly 'storm-blown' birds which have been driven off course.

In the book 'Birds of Nottinghamshire' (David & Charles 1975, edited by Austen Dobbs, p.156) four sightings are recorded - in 1884, 1917, 1914 and 1953.

The last of these refers, of course, to Tussy, whilst the circumstances of the first sighting (1884) are recounted by J. Whittaker in his 'Notes on the Birds of Nottinghamshire' published in 1907. On page 289 of this work, Whittaker writes:-

"Miss Webb, the daughter of the Vicar of Mansfield Woodhouse, picked up one of these birds alive on the road near the Vicarage in November 1884. This is the only county specimen I have ever heard of: and thanks to her kindness it is in my collection."

Another puffin encounter - and one which would appear not to be recorded in Dobbs' book - is recorded in a letter to Tussy's founder by J. Staton, the then Secretary of the Trent Valley Bird Watchers. Writing in October 1953, Mr Staton refers to a live puffin he obtained "a few years back" which was "in such good condition that I was able to send it by passenger train to my friend R.M. Lockley (the author of many books on seabird life) on the coast of Pembrokeshire, and after.... cramming it with fish, successful release was reported by him".

THE GONZO BLOG DOO-DAH MAN SAYS BINGGGGGG

The Gonzo Daily - Monday/Tuesday

http://www.gonzomultimedia.co.uk/about.html

And so we start another week. Chloe was here for five hours today and worked her little fingers to the metaphorical bone. Karl Shuker's book on Loch Ness is now available, and I shall be writing more about it over the next few days, and the Muirhead's Mysteries book will be out soon. We have also worked on Barbara Dickson's autobiography and all sorts of other odds and sods, and it has been a very productive and enjoyable day.

And now for the news................

FROM THE BESTEMMING PROJECT

http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/from-bestemming-project.html

TONY PALMER INTERVIEW

http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/tony-palmer-interview.html

MJ12 Review

http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/mj12-review.html

THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: Search God Within - Si...

http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/the-gonzo-track-of-day-search-god.html

Gram Parsons - On WBCN Radio Show

http://gonzo-multimedia.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/gram-parsons-on-wbcn-radio-show.html

And by the way chaps and chappesses, a trip to the Jon Downes megastore: if you want to make me a happy fellow, you can:

buy my novel:

http://tinyurl.com/gmo6axf

buy my single:

http://tinyurl.com/zoex4d4

Gonzo Magazine #202

http://www.gonzoweekly.com/

This week, as John looks at Gong’s first album since Gilli and Daevid’s deaths, Jon looks at the history of the band and their legacy, discovers the campaign to save Tin Pan Alley, and enthuses over a book about the unreleased music and film of The Beatles. Alan investigates Ryley Walker, and Doug goes to see ELO.

Good ‘ere innit?

And there are radio shows from Strange Fruit, Mack Maloney, and Friday Night Progressive. We also have columns from all sorts of folk including Roy Weard, Mr Biffo, Neil Nixon and the irrepressible Corinna. There is also a thrilling and slightly disturbing episode of Xtul. There is also a collection of more news, reviews, views, interviews and pademelons outside zoos(OK, nothing to do with small marsupials who have escaped from captivity, but I got carried away with things that rhymed with OOOOS) than you can shake a stick at. And the best part is IT's ABSOLUTELY FREE!!!

This issue features:

Daevid Allen, Gilli Smyth, Jack Lancaster, John Shuttleworth, Dave Gilmour, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sharon Osbourne, Pete Doherty, Marillion, John Lennon, Unicef, Bono, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Claiborne Joseph Cheramie, Kashif Saleem (previously Michael Jones), Hagen Friedrich Liebing, Ollie Imogene "Jean" Shepard, Stanley Dural, Jr., Mike “Taffy” Taylor, Buster, Newquay, Ludo, Percy, Lemmy, Truddle, Owlie, Blossom, Friendly and Arthur, the Humboldt Penguins from Exmoor Zoo, Rick Wakeman, Martin Stephenson and The Daintees, Archie Fisher & Barbara Dickson, Binky Womack, Arthur Brown, Nils Lofgren, Jackie Lee, Henry Scott-Irvine, Electric Light Orchestra, Alan Dearling, Ryley Walker, John Brodie-Good, Gong, Mr Biffo, Roy Weard, Hawkwind, Xtul, Johnny Winter, Lemmy, Isaac Hayes, Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Richard Cheese

Read the previous few issues of Gonzo Weekly:

Issue 201 (Auld Man's Baccie)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo200.html

Issue 200 (Deep Purple)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo200.html

Issue 199 (Yes)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo199.html

Issue 198 (Steve Ignorant)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo198.html

Issue 197 (Gilli Smyth)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo197.html

Issue 196 (Paul May)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo196.html

Issue 195 (Dave Brock)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo195.html

Issue 194 (Auburn)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo194.html

Issue 193 (Genre Peak)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo193.html

Issue 192 (Rick Wakeman and Brian May)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo192.html

Issue 191 (Karnataka)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo191.html

Issue 190 (Erik Norlander)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo190.html

Issue 189 (Rick Wakeman at the O2)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo189.html

Issue 187/8 (Yer holiday special)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo187-8-the-summer-holiday-special.html

Issue 186 (Beatles)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo186.html

Issue 185 (Judge Smith)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo185.html

Issue 184 (Mick Abrahams)

http://www.flipsnack.com/9FE5CEE9E8C/gonzo184.html

All issues from #70 can be downloaded at www.gonzoweekly.com if you prefer. If you have problems downloading, just email me and I will add you to the Gonzo Weekly dropbox. The first 69 issues are archived there as well. Information is power chaps, we have to share it!

You can download the magazine in pdf form HERE:

http://www.gonzoweekly.com/pdf/

SPECIAL NOTICE: If you, too, want to unleash the power of your inner rock journalist, and want to join a rapidly growing band of likewise minded weirdos please email me at jon@eclipse.co.uk The more the merrier really.

* 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.co.uk

* 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 57 who - together with an infantile orange cat named after a song by Frank Zappa, and two small kittens, one totally coincidentally named after one of the Manson Family, purely because she squeaks, puts it all together from a converted potato shed in a tumbledown cottage deep in rural Devon which he shares with various fish. 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 infantile orange cat, and the adventurous kittens?

NEWS FROM NOWHERE - Monday

ON THIS DAY IN - 1888 - "The Yeomen of the Guard" was performed for the first time. It was the first of 423 shows.
And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk

Survival secret of 'Earth's hardiest animal' revea...

Male Widow Spiders Survive Sex by Mounting Immatur...

More than 7 million bacterial genes in the pig gut...

Frog-hunting bats have ‘cocktail party effect’ wor...

It's not all about tigers and criminals: Illegal w...

Fish against monster worms

AND TO WHISTLE WHILE YOU WORK... (Music that may have some relevance to items also on this page, or may just reflect my mood on the day.)