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...

Search This Blog

WATCH OUR WEEKLY WEBtv SHOW

SUPPORT OTT ON PATREON

SUPPORT OTT ON PATREON
Click on this logo to find out more about helping CFZtv and getting some smashing rewards...

SIGN UP FOR OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER



Unlike some of our competitors we are not going to try and blackmail you into donating by saying that we won't continue if you don't. That would just be vulgar, but our lives, and those of the animals which we look after, would be a damn sight easier if we receive more donations to our fighting fund. Donate via Paypal today...




Monday, May 15, 2017

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.



MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: HenryVIII`s sea monster

Image result for henry viii

I was using a historical web site the other day when I came across the following piece of information,after typing in "monster" in the search bar:

"You shall receive herewith "the portraiture of a monster lately taken in such parts of the seas as may appear unto you by the subscription of the same".It was  brought to me by " a gentleman, one of the strangers soldiers here that came out of Flaunders, (i.e. Flanders) ,who affirmeth it to be true," For its strangeness, I send it you, to use as you think good." June 16 1546

Source - Letters and Papers, Foreign & Domestic ,Henry VIII Vol 21 Part 1 Jan-Aug 1546,Originally published by His Majesty`s Stationary Office 1908


I hope to track down the image of the "portraiture" if it still exists

Dr Devo

CRYPTOLINK: Maine river monster?

A word about cryptolinks: we are not responsible for the content of cryptolinks, which are merely links to outside articles that we think are interesting (sometimes for the wrong reasons), usually posted up without any comment whatsoever from me. 



Loch Ness Monster Spotted Swimming In Maine Penobscot River
Want more Livestreams? Leave a like and ill try my best to make it happen! Subscribe to never miss a video http://bit.ly/LachlanSubscrib... THE MOST ...

NESSIENEWS (Caveat Lector)




Possible Loch Ness Monster Sighting on May 7, 2017
A video uploaded to YouTube this week purports to show what could be the fabled Loch Ness Monster. As the Scottish Daily Record reports, Rob ...

Stunned Tourist Captures Video Of 'Loch Ness Monster' Swimming Through Waters
Rob Jones, 35, from North Wales, spotted something sticking out of the water as he looked out over the loch from a hill above. The shape – which ...

BIGFOOT NEWS IN BRIEF




News of the two Big Foot spread like wildfire when a villager, Zubaidah Abdullah, 50, claimed to dream frequently of two six-foot monkey-like creatures ...
RESIDENTS of a village in Bachok, Kelantan, are having restless nights after sightings of a mysterious animal, said to be a “Big Foot” of sorts, in their ... 
Oregon Bigfoot Festival 2017
Saturday, August 19th 2017, come enjoy this "Whimsical Bigfoot" themed festival. Walk beautiful Glenn Otto Park in Troutdale Oregon. Visit the unique ...

Man Rescues Young Child From Bigfoot
Bigfoot sighting in Florida shows the Sasquatch helping this man. The Bigfoot spoke and said some odd words. The other Bigfoot encounter was an ...

Encounters With Bigfoot In BC - Amazing Stories!
Encounters With Bigfoot In BC - Amazing Stories! This guy has some amazing stories about bigfoot in the massive wilderness of British Columbia.


TODAY'S BIG CAT NEWS

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 that 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.


  • NEWSLINK: Wildlife officials checking on reports o...
  • NEWSLINK: Rescued puma joins Minnesota Zoo's other...


  • NEWSLINK: Tamil Nadu: Mudumalai hotspot for tiger ...
  • THE GONZO BLOG DOO DAH MAN GOES DOWN TO THE CROSSROADS

    The Gonzo Daily: Monday/Tuesday
    Friday was weird. No sooner had I written that nothing interesting had happened, than Corinna came into my study clutching her finger! She had been bitten by a small mammal, whilst rescuing it from Squeaky the cat and wanted me to identify it. It turned out to be a water shrew; a fascinating little animal, which - whilst, apparently, not uncommon - I have never seen before. Those jolly nice fellows at Wikipedia tell me that the Eurasian water shrew (Neomys fodiens), is a relatively large shrew, up to 10 cm (4 in) long, with a tail up to three-quarters as long again. It has short, dark fur, often with a few white tufts, a white belly, and a few stiff hairs around the feet and tail. It lives close to fresh water, hunting aquatic prey in the water and nearby. Its fur traps bubbles of air in the water which greatly aids its buoyancy, but requires it to anchor itself to remain underwater for more than the briefest of dives. It also has venomous saliva, making it one of the few venomous mammals, although it is not able to puncture the skin of large animals such as humans. Highly territorial, it lives a solitary life and is found throughout the northern part of Europe and Asia, from Britain to Korea. And now, apparently, it is also found in my garden, together with two other species of shrew. Whoopee!
    And now, here is the news:
    THE GONZO TRACK OF THE DAY: Pink Fairies ‎– Racewa...
    Yes Interviews: 1977 - Sonny Fox Interviews Jon An...
    ERIC BURDON IN THE NEWS
    THOM THE WORLD POET: The Daily Poem
    FRANK ZAPPA IN THE NEWS
    Gonzo Magazine #234
    THE OUT AND ABOUT ISSUE
    The legendary Al Atkins talks about his new album and his involvement with the Metal for Charity project, Alan D is chasing a festival site in Lithuania, we have news from the Real Music Club, the latest from Hawkwind, and Jon mixing fact and fantasy in the White House.
    It’s all free!
    And there are radio shows from Mack Maloney, Friday Night Progressive, Canterbury Sans Frontieres and Strange Fruit. We also have columns from all sorts of folk including Roy Weard, Mr Biffo, Neil Nixon and the irrepressible Corinna. 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:
    Veep, John Ellis, Pink Floyd, Jeffrey Roberts, Craig Gill, Loretta Lynn, P J Harvey, Pink, Rolling Stones, Roger Waters, Strange Fruit, Friday Night Progressive, Canterbury Sans Frontieres, Mack Maloney's Mystery Hour, Ustad Rais Khan, David Pell, Roberto Concina (Robert Miles), Albert Geoffrey Bayldon, Clive Colin Brooks, Michael Parks (born Harry Samuel Parks), Curt Lowens, Mary Hopkin, This Misery Garden, Martin Stephenson and The Daintees, Ashton, Gardner and Dyke, Al Atkins, ANA - Metal For Charity, Alan Dearling, Lithuaniam Festivals, Real Music Club, Brother Twain, Gail Storm Edmunds, Jack Pout, Kev Rowland, X.Kernel, Witchbound, Yuval Ron & Residents of the Future, Witherfall, Wingfield Reuter, Bart Lancia, Mr Biffo, Roy Weard, Hawkwind, Xtul, Martin Springett, Milda Harris, Elvis, 1D, Average White Band, Jimi Hendrix, Cher, Leona Williams, Led Zeppelin, Neil Nixon, Cut Chemist
    Read the previous few issues of Gonzo Weekly:
    Issue 233 (Richard Strange)
    Issue 232 (Roy Weard)
    Issue 231 (Allan Holdsworth)
    Issue 230 (Curtis Womack)
    Issue 229 (Larry Wallis)
    Issue 228 (Space Pharoahs)
    Issue 227 (Chuck Berry)
    Issue 225-6 (The Rites of Spring)
    Issue 224 (Hibernal)
    Issue 223 (Beatles)
    Issue 222 (Cruise to the Edge)
    Issue 221 (Deke Leonard)
    Issue 220 (Larry Wallis)
    Issue 219 (Martin Stone)
    Issue 218 (Mark Reiser tribute)
    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:
    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 a Jack Russell called Archie, an infantile orange cat named after a song by Frank Zappa, and two half grown 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 Archie and the Cats?

    NEWS FROM NOWHERE - Monday/Tuesday

    ON THIS DAY IN - 1795 - Napoleon entered the Lombardian capital of Milan. 
    And now some more recent news from the CFZ Newsdesk

  • New butterfly species discovered in Israel for the...
  • Sexually deceptive spider orchids fool wasps
  • Colony density, not hormones, triggers honeybee 'p...
  • New Secrets To Alligators Sex Life Revealed - via ...
  • Native turtles under threat in Perth's Hyde Park, ...
  • Komodo dragon bites Singaporean tourist in Indones...

  • 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.)