Very unusual object photographed in Arizona sky

originally posted by: htapath

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
I would agree with Turkey Vulture. Just so everyone can see the coloring and how their wings bend when in mid flap, here is a reference image. Regardless.....it is a bird.

If those are wings on the object, they are severely deformed. Two left wings flexing to the right, and showing no evidence of flapping. Where is the tail section?

Huh? Two left wings flexing to the right? How do you suppose that?

You are seeing your photo from an obvious angle...it appears to me to be moving from left to right and what you are seeing on the "back" of the bird is the tail, while the head is not discernible because it is in between the wings from an angled shot.

And if, like you claim, you didn't actually see this object (bird), then how are you sure of the direction in which it is moving?

originally posted by: htapath

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Something like this, probably. At a slightly different angle:

Right. Except the bird pic you posted is obviously a bird, without question. The object in question has no discernable feathers and looks solid, similar to floating chunks of earth. The clouds are in focus but the object is not. If the object was closer to the camera than the clouds, then there wouldn't be as much pixelation. This is just my opinion, of course.

Right, except the camera used in that example was likely a lot higher resolution than your phone camera. The object would not be in perfect focus because it is moving The object is clearly closer than the clouds or it would be behind the clouds....

originally posted by: draknoir2

originally posted by: htapath


I don't want it to be anything other than what it is, JadeStar. There are aspects of this reality which cannot easily be explained or categorized. The mystery object is several magnitudes larger than a bird or a kite in my estimation.

Consider, for example, that the object could be 20+ miles away and 5000+ feet in the air. Also, I cannot overstate the fact that neither myself nor my passengers saw the object with our naked eyes.

Are you reading the responses at all?

This was all addressed.


If neither you nor your passengers even noticed it how are you so convinced of its transcendental nature? You're technically not even an eyewitness, so your estimations of size and distance are no better than anyone else's who has seen the photo.

We sat and looked at the clouds for a few minutes. Birds are generally not invisible, and there wasn't a bird in that area of the sky. My eyes would have seen the movement, since a black object is in stark contrast to the clouds and sky. If you had seen some of the things that I have seen in the sky over the years, then you would understand why I pay close attention to the heavens. And yes I have read every word that has been posted in this thread.

a reply to: htapath

Seriously this was taken with a Motorola XT907 camera phone the image from it has the following data.

Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) [0x829A] = 30/100000 second ===> 1/3333.33333 second ===> 0.0003 second
Lens F-Number / F-Stop [0x829D] = 240000/100000 ===> ƒ/2.4
EXIF Version [0x9000] = 0220
Original Date/Time [0x9003] = 2014:03:21 12:00:13
Digitization Date/Time [0x9004] = 2014:03:21 12:00:13

Image size 3264x1836 resolution 72 dpi

You are TOTALLY mistaken in your assumptions of this object and it's distance, a few members who have commented already like myself are keen photographers.

It looks like what others have stated a bird mid flap the low 72 dpi resolution means it's not as clear as you would get from say a dslr (mines 4912x3264 at 350 dpi )

If it was miles away it would be huge and we would have more than one image/report of it!

originally posted by: alienscot1
a reply to: htapath

definitely looks like a flying bird on the down flap of wings.

I think the OP is more than justified for showing this image as a possible "non bird" because a bird seen with these characteristics just doesn't seem common to me. However, after I looked at tons of black vulture images, it looks like it probably might be that.

This last one has that same bend or joint in the same place but down flap is less extreme, but looks more than possible..

But this doesn't address that oddity of light seen right in the back center of this OP image, and I would love a true answer on that, although it might just be mundane who knows...

Here's a link to black vultures, and turkey vultures (ugly suckers) After looking at these images of this interesting bird, I just think it has to be one, because the wing behavior like in the OP image is most similar to that bird.
Vulture images

I also feel the camera shot was the kind that is pretty rare, and so it could easily be seen as something non birdish

originally posted by: alienreality


But this doesn't address that oddity of light seen right in the back center of this OP image, and I would love a true answer on that, although it might just be mundane who knows...

What light also it could be any reasonable size bird that live in that area.

a reply to: wmd_2008

Look one post above yours and you can see mine, which essentially answers most of what has you perturbed.
If you missed my earlier post showing an enhancement of that "light" which did not look like it should be there, you can read it first, or again if you missed the details.
I found the lighter spots on the right underside wing a bit odd. What do you think it might be? Just glare? Sure could be just that.
I really think you can do better than this. Less putting foot in mouth replies might be a start But then that wouldn't be as much fun for you, I know.. Have some Coffee!

originally posted by: Pimpish
a reply to: htapath

I'm also flabbergasted that so many posters continue to insist that the object is a bird.

Perhaps because it looks so much like a bird. That and the fact that you, and other people that were there at the time never noticed anything all points to it being a bird.

Or are you of the opinion that a (according to you) massive object in the sky would go unnoticed by you, and other people, when you were looking right at it?

It's much, much more likely that you didn't notice this object when you took the picture because it was just a bird and therefore nothing to take notice of. It's only when you later looked at the picture and you happened to catch it at just the right moment to where it looks weird that you found anything unusual.

By the way, according to weather records, the wind was blowing SW at 8.1 MPH on March 21, 2014. That's not a high wind, but isn't exactly what I would call a calm day either. Source - goo.gl...

Also, as someone else mentioned already, the fact that you didn't notice this at all while you were there means you don't have anymore information than anyone else re: it's distance from the camera. Yes, it could be 20 miles away and 5,000 feet in the air, but it's much more likely that it's 30 yards away and 50 feet in the air.

The wind wasn't blowing at all at the location. Leupp doesn't even have a weather station. The nearest one would be in Winslow, AZ just to be accurate on that point.

I was watching the sky for any sign of movement, because I sensed that something was there. I can't post any proof of this, but I am guided by my intuition. I don't know how else to explain why I even pulled over and took the photo.

The rest of the sky was clear, except for a small area to the southwest. The image was taken facing southeast. I watch for birds because they are liaisons between the physical and spiritual realms and can deliver important messages. I don't expect you to believe anything I have posted, but urge you to consider the possibilities.

My best guess is a probe droid from Star Wars. Grab your light sabers folks!!!!!


Seriously it does look like a bird or some sort of imaging balloon

a reply to: htapath

So your cellphone captured an image of something that can't be seen with the naked eye? To me it's clearly a bird.

originally posted by: groingrinder
A lot of strange things get airborne in Arizona. One day I watched a plastic children's wading pool spinning away several hundred feet in the air like some kind of UFO. On a hot day the thermal updrafts and dust devils can lift lots of strange things into the air here.

With that out of the way I would also like to say that our state is a genuine hot bed of unusual activity in the skies and this picture could easily represent some of that activity.

I agree on all points. There are some things that cannot be adequately conveyed through a keyboard. But we can always put forth the effort and endure the ensuing backlash. Moderate aerosol spraying overhead today in Flagstaff, by the way.

a reply to: htapath

I want you to know that I appreciate and trust what you say because I can also see some things about this thing/bird/contraption that just puts the average busybody to sleep, rather than inspire any investigation hehe.. It is a very cool picture, whether or not it is something strange or mundane.

Even if a damn bird, the logo like crest on that right wing underneath, or center of the back end, and markings on the visible outer left wing are not the usual, but that might be a byproduct of the enhancement I did. Still, though, in images where there are contrasted and discernable colors like the solid blue sky and then that black bird like object, you usually wouldn't see artifacts from enhancement just on the object in question, it would show the same artifact elsewhere, but that didn't happen.

The colors started popping out, the more I added some light/contrast changes, but only on the wing, and that glowing crest with the 3 or 4 segments were very sensitive to any enhancement, much more so than anything else in the image, which could be relevant to something abnormal that was there, or maybe not.. But it got my attention because just bumping the light a bit, affected that glowing aberration very quickly and a lot, when everything else in the image didn't do anything noticeable except get a bit lighter.

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: htapath

originally posted by: Vasa Croe
I would agree with Turkey Vulture. Just so everyone can see the coloring and how their wings bend when in mid flap, here is a reference image. Regardless.....it is a bird.

If those are wings on the object, they are severely deformed. Two left wings flexing to the right, and showing no evidence of flapping. Where is the tail section?

Huh? Two left wings flexing to the right? How do you suppose that?

You are seeing your photo from an obvious angle...it appears to me to be moving from left to right and what you are seeing on the "back" of the bird is the tail, while the head is not discernible because it is in between the wings from an angled shot.

And if, like you claim, you didn't actually see this object (bird), then how are you sure of the direction in which it is moving?

As I have stated, the object appears to be stationary, not very aerodynamic, with no evidence of flapping or forward motion. Moreover, it appears to resemble two chunks of earthen material rather than two wings in my opinion.

Dude...its a BIRD. Appears to be right at the beginning of the upstroke of it's wings as they are bent at the joint. I appreciate an open mind as much as the next guy, but an open mind that is not able to see reality when presented with it is not really open....it is only open to it's own ideas, of which I have seen absolutely ZERO from the OP.

You put this pic out there and ask opinions, and when numerous opinions with very detailed descriptions and pics tell you it is a bird, your response is that it can't be because your intuition tells you so.....SERIOUSLY?

I have seen MANY more curious pics than this one that are much harder to explain. Your observational awareness is clearly skewed to see something you can't even give us your own opinion on, yet when faced with logic your response is somewhat uneducated by just saying it can't be a bird because you don't believe it is. That is a very telling sign of ignorance based on it's very definition....

Ignorance is a state of being uninformed (lack of knowledge).[1] The word ignorant is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware and is often used as an insult to describe individuals who deliberately ignore or disregard important information or facts.

It's a fake. You can zoom in to the object with any basic CG program (MS Paint) and see the border of the clouds around the object are lighter in color than the surrounding clouds. Copied/paste.

originally posted by: wmd_2008
a reply to: htapath

a few members who have commented already like myself are keen photographers.

Really? You posted a reply to me that was asking questions, all of which I had answered in a post just before that and I even posted several images of black vultures and discussed some of the attributes of that bird, but you didn't see it and didn't even check. Plus you missed the other images way earlier I posted and say you didn't see anything even after all was explained in detail.. Not traits that I would think a "keen" photographer would want to have. A keen photographer should at least be able to stand up straight and give the impression they aren't sleep walking..

originally posted by: Vasa Croe

originally posted by: htapath

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Something like this, probably. At a slightly different angle:

Right. Except the bird pic you posted is obviously a bird, without question. The object in question has no discernable feathers and looks solid, similar to floating chunks of earth. The clouds are in focus but the object is not. If the object was closer to the camera than the clouds, then there wouldn't be as much pixelation. This is just my opinion, of course.

Right, except the camera used in that example was likely a lot higher resolution than your phone camera. The object would not be in perfect focus because it is moving The object is clearly closer than the clouds or it would be behind the clouds....

No argument on the resolution. What seems to be mostly ignored that I consider to be of significance is how the shape of the object closely mirrors the shape of the clouds.

Just to give you an idea of the picture quality of this phone, here is a photo I took a couple of weeks ago on the same settings.

Looks to me like a ANF-67G weather monitoring dirigible, quite common in this area used to measure atmospheric conditions & data collection over long duration's of time.

originally posted by: r0xor
Let me be the first to guess...

...some kind of odd weather balloon? I mean, clearly it is not aerodynamically shaped for flying.

If not that, perhaps some sort of weather-ballon LIKE scientific / weather drone.

Any other ideas?

a reply to: Vasa Croe


yeah, it has definitely got to be a bird, but the thread title just says "unusual object photographed..." And it definitely is a very unique shot. This image could easily be sold for some good coin too, just because it is a very lucky shot of the Black Vulture's flight physics.
Another reason it must be a bird to me is because, if a military project came up with a flying machine that looked like this, they would be laughed right off of the planet I mean, they would be toast

:The Arizona Black vulture here: disclaimer on copyright image (I hope "fair use covers this image, since it is for educational purpose) and this also answers my earlier confusion about that lighter splotches that looked like a crest/logo.. On the downstroke of those wings, it appears the natural coloration of this bird's wing tips is why it looked that way to me..

originally posted by: wmd_2008
a reply to: htapath

Seriously this was taken with a Motorola XT907 camera phone the image from it has the following data.

Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) [0x829A] = 30/100000 second ===> 1/3333.33333 second ===> 0.0003 second
Lens F-Number / F-Stop [0x829D] = 240000/100000 ===> ƒ/2.4
EXIF Version [0x9000] = 0220
Original Date/Time [0x9003] = 2014:03:21 12:00:13
Digitization Date/Time [0x9004] = 2014:03:21 12:00:13

Image size 3264x1836 resolution 72 dpi

You are TOTALLY mistaken in your assumptions of this object and it's distance, a few members who have commented already like myself are keen photographers.

It looks like what others have stated a bird mid flap the low 72 dpi resolution means it's not as clear as you would get from say a dslr (mines 4912x3264 at 350 dpi )

If it was miles away it would be huge and we would have more than one image/report of it!

I'm not making any assumptions. That classification would better suit the posters who keep saying 100% it's a bird. I'm not one to go around bragging about my photographic capabilities, nor anything else for that matter. But I do pay attention to my surroundings and I'm sometimes compelled to share my observations.

Also, you are mistaken on your assumption that unusual objects would be widely reported. There are objects in the sky quite often which mainstream science says doesn't even exist. This isn't my first rodeo.