New picture from Vienna.

I just got this image emailed to me. It looks like the same bird/creature that as in the previous films and images.

I let a friend of mine, an expert on digital images look at the picture and he say it's impossible to say if it's real of fake.
What he could say is that the compresion of the bird and the compression of the rest of the image is the same. You can see this by looking at the dark edges. The JPEG compression is the small grey dots in the lighter areas around the edges. It's the amount of grey pixels that match. What you do is that you compare the bird with other edges in the image. Below is one example, from the trees.


What this indicates is that the image could be real and if not very well faked.

By looking at Google maps I can tell the Stadtpark is a big park, maybe the bird has got confused and made a stop here on it's way somewhere else. It's not unusual that animalt that has been disturbed for one or another reason behaves in a strange way. This bird obviously has started to move and the cause for this one can only speculate. The bird might stay for a short period but will soon move on, a city is a bad environment for big predators. A change of plan, not going to Waltviertel but Vienna.

A new spotting in Gradnitz

This film showed up on youtube two weeks ago. It's filmed by a man (I assume it's a man since he refers to the second witness as his wife) who saw a huge flying creature circling the sky. He is saying it's probably a Pterodactyl but this is wrong. The Pterodaktyls went extinct some 65 millions years ago (At the end of the Cretaceous period, the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event which wiped out all non-avian dinosaurs and most avian dinosaurs as well, and many other animals, seemed to also take the pterosaurs. Alternatively, most pterosaurs may have been specialised for an ocean-going lifestyle. Consequently, when the Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event severely affected marine life that most pterosaurs fed on, they went extinct) and it possibility there are living Pterodactyl (or Pterosaurs which is the correct term) is highly unlikely. If there would have been flying Pterosaurs there would have need to be at least a couple of individuals in order to let them breed. And since the average lifetime of a pterosaur was 10-15 year (they reached ful grown size on only one year) where would have to be hundreds of pterosaurs individuals just to keep the species surviving the 20th century. No pterosaur has ever been found dead or been caught.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eA23ZvYLXw&feature=youtu.be

Is it a bat? I don't think so. There are big bats, fruit bats (also called old world fruit bats, or flying foxes) lives mainly in dense forest in Africa, Asia and Australia. Read more here.
So a mega bat is not a likely explanation. The smaller bats are very common but they are usually not active during the daytime. It's hard to estimate the size of the object but the object is clearly further back then the lamp since they are not in the focus plane. The camera is most likely on auto and it's a bright day so the aperture is probably f11 or f22. At this distance the difference in focus plane indicates the object is much further back than the lamp. Not 1-9 meteres but 25-50 meters. The size of the object is therefore much bigger than a bat.

The wingspan is 2-2,5 meters (maybe even up to 3 meters) and even the biggest fruit bats are not bigger than 1,5 meter in wing span.

I don't  think this object is a bat, not an extinct pterosaur but something else.

There was a spotting of a big creature in Austria back in 1992. This clip is also showing something that's not an airplane, not a bird but something else.

I think that it might be an Alp or some other creature. They are extremely shy and live long so there's no need for a big population in order for them to breed. One remaining individual could have stayed hidden in the forest or a cave for hundreds of years.

The austrian creature talked about in Japan

The new sighting has been the subject for a lot of discussion, several blogs in japan and mexico has written about this film.

The prominent Ghost Hunting blog also covered the film:

Helsinki - Vienna - Waldviertel Expedition 27/8 - 10/9

We just booked tickets and are all set to go.
We're leaving saturday the 27th and stay two weeks.
First we're going to spend two, three days in Vienna to assemble local recourses
but then we're going to as soon as possible go to Zwettl and on out into the deep woods.

But the cost of going to Austria? Expensive I must say!

The search party might include american cryptozoologists?

Thank you Phantoms and Monsters for helping us expand our search or volunteers for the hunt!

Huge bird (pterodactyl or Alp) sightings in Waldviertel

This map shows the places of the sightings. 19 years apart...

The Alp

For you who not are familiar with the Alp it's a ancient creature. It's  described in old books and art like „Nachtmahr“ (“Night-mare”) by Johann Heinrich Füssli (1802). It was first mentioned in the 16th century and most of the myths about this creature were made up during the 19th century.

How the Alp was imagined in the 19th century

The Alp is a sort of huge bat with humanoid features as longer legs and arms. Since there are no clear pictures of this creature one has to rely on eye witnesses when it comes to it's apparence.
It's covered in fur and is believed to closest related to flying foxes. The humanoid features are hard to explain but it might be a misunderstanding it has armes, most likely it's a thicker part of the humerus and radius bone that might look like arms. Below is a bat skeleton and this would give you a prettu good idea of the skeleton of the Alp.

Picture from a recent spoting

The size of the Alp is disputed and there are a misconception that they are the same size as a full grown man. There are no evidence that this would be the case, quite to opposite.  The proportion between the body and the wings are 1:5 or 1:6. An Alp of the same size as a full grown man would have need a wingspan of about 10 meters to fly. This has never been recorded. The wingspan is more likely 4-5 meters and this would give i length of about one meter.



Not unlike a flying fox. There are many differences between a flying fox and an Alp but this is the closest relative.  See image below. The wingspan of a flying fox is just under 2 meters so the Alp is bigger.

The myth about the Alp being a vampyre origins from the myths about vampyre bats. There are bloodsucking bats but they are very rare. It was during the 19th century the myths about the Alp as a vampire. There were no records of the Alp being a bloodsucker before 1817 and it's the myths about Vampire from the 18th century that during the beginning of the 19th century starts to incorperate other creatures and present them as vampires. But that the Alp is a blood sucking vampyre has never been proved. There are also myths about the Alp being a shapeshifter and haunt it's victims by entering their mind and giving them nightmares (the appearance of the Alp is enough to give you nightmares, I'll admit that).

My extensive research shows that the Alp is distant relative to the flying fox. It's extremely shy and has an very long lifespan. There are creatures that can reach almost 200 years and the only explanation there has never been found any remains of a dead Alp is that it's a very small population, they live long and in isolated areas. There are probably only 6-8 individuals left and they are spread out over central and eastern europe. Where they breed, how they nest and other question remains unknown.

The Japanese are such big fans of Austria...

I don't know where they get it from but they are very enthusiastic, our japanese friends. If Japan would have been closer it would surely have been a race to the Alp...

http://umafan.blog72.fc2.com/?mode=m&no=779
http://heliboy2.jpn.org/com/modules/weblinks/singlelink.php?lid=2
http://大学口コミ.jp/index3.php?key=未確認動物
http://b.hatena.ne.jp/entry/umafan.blog72.fc2.com/blog-entry-779.html

Czechoslovakia discovery

This is a find from Czechoslovakia and the 80's. It was found not far from the Austrian border.
It was rejected as a abnormal bat. I'm intrigued by this find and think it might be something like the things that have been spotted.

The french speculates...

In the popular french blog, Besoin de savoir, the 1992 spotting is discussed. It's not a mothman that's for sure. I've written to the editor explaining and giving him more background on the film.

The Bird/Pterodactyl/Alp is being discussed worldwide

Here are some links to sites discussing the Alp.

http://ja-jp.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=224001474303431&id=110269078992063

http://strangestate.blogspot.com/2011/07/mystery-bird-appears-in-home-movie.html

http://www.supernaturalufo.com/index/newsid/11019/unknown-flying-creature-found-on-old-vhs-tape

https://regator.com/society_culture/paranormal/video/

http://www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/76060/Unknown_flying_creature_found_on_old_vhs_tape/

http://www.skepticforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=82&t=16367

It's not unlikely that more researches and hunters are coming to Austria.
If someone are planning to go there and read this, please send me an email so we can team up. We cover a bigger area and the chance for success is bigger if we team up.

.30-06 Ammo

More about the ammo I use.

The .30-06 is a very powerful cartridge designed when 1,000 yd + (1 km) shots were expected. In 1906, the original M1906 .30-06 cartridge consisted of a 9.7 grams (150 gr), flat-base cupronickel-jacketed-bullet. After WWI, the U.S. military needed better long-range performance machine guns. Based on weapons performance reports from Europe, a streamlined, 11.2 grams (173 gr) boattail, gilding-metal bullet was used. The .30-06 cartridge, with the 11.2-gram (173-grain) bullet was called Cartridge, .30, M1 Ball. The .30-06 cartridge was far more powerful than the smaller Japanese 6.5 x 50mm Arisaka cartridge and comparable to the Japanese 7.7 x 58 Arisaka.  The new M1 ammunition proved to be significantly more accurate than the M1906 round.[5]

In 1938, the unstained, 9.8 grams (151 gr), flat-base bullet combined with the .30-06 case became the M2 ball cartridge. According to U.S. Army Technical Manual 43-0001-27, M2 Ball specifications required 835 meters per second (2,740 ft/s) minimum velocity, measured 24 meters (79 ft) from the muzzle.  M2 Ball was the standard-issue ammunition for military rifles and machine guns until it was replaced by the 7.62 x 51 mm NATO round for the M14 and M60.  For rifle use, M2 Ball ammunition proved to be less accurate than the earlier M1 cartridge; even with match rifles, a target group of 5 inches (130 mm) diameter at 200 yards (180 m) using the 150-grain (9.7 g) M2 bullet was considered optimal, and many rifles performed less well.[5] The U.S. Marine Corps retained stocks of M1 ammunition for use by snipers and trained marksmen throughout the Solomon Islands campaign in the early years of the war.[6] In an effort to increase accuracy some snipers resorted to use of the heavier .30-06 M2 armor-piercing round, a practice that would re-emerge during the Korean War.[7] Others sought out lots of M2 ammunition produced by Denver Ordnance, which had proved to be more accurate than those produced by other wartime ammunition plants when used for sniping at long range.[8] Commercially manufactured rifles chambered in .30-06 are popular for hunting.

Photo from Heidenreichstein dated 1942

This photo was mailed to Bernard Heuvelmans who used it in his book On the Track of Unknown Animals (published in 1965 and re-published 1995). There where no guess of what is was but Mr Heuvelmans was convinced it was something related to cryptozoology.

Since it's in Austria and in Waldviertel I think it has something to do with the more recent spottings.

Myth about the Alp # 2 The Herdsmen

Yes, this is one of my favorite myths. I don't think it's an Alp, more likely a drunkard...

Once some herdsmen were out in the field in the middle of the night. They were watching their herds not far from a body of water. An alp came by, climbed into a boat, untied it from the bank, rowed it with an oar that he himself had brought along, climbed out, tied up the boat on the other side, and continued on his way. After a while he returned and rowed back. The herdsmen, however, after observing this for several nights, and allowing it to happen, decided to take the boat away. When the alp returned, he began to complain bitterly, and threatened the herdsmen that they would have to bring the boat back immediately if they wanted to have peace, and that is what they did.

The creature in Ritzmannshofer Wald

I've been collecting evidence of this creature for over 4 months. A lot of people has emailed me with information about the Alp. Some from Germany but mainly from Austria. It's witnesses who either has seen something that could have been the Alp but mainly storys and tales. The older generation talking about this creature living in the woods. I got this wonderful story from the grandson of the late Wimmer couple living close to Ritzmannshofer Wald.

It was late october 1934, Franz Wimmer who was head of a team of workers doing road construction in the Ritzmannshofer Wald area. It had been raining heavily for several week and the construction work had been difficult and the progress had been much slower than planned. In order to complete the work before the frost and snow the team had to work double shifts the last two weeks and they now camped next to the construction site instead of in the sleeping in the small farm 4 km away where they had been living since late august. This morning, late october 1934, Franz Wimmer were up earlier than usual, the rain had been pouring down the last 48 hours and the work had come to a complete standstill due to the mud. The team had been told to move back to the farm and if the rain didn't stop the work should be stopped and not continued until next spring. This would be a disaster for the workers who wouldn't be paid and wouldn't find any other job until christmas and it would be yet another miserable winter.
Franz where inspecting the site and was to decide what should be brought back to the farm and what they could leave behind until decided it the work was to continue. The work usually started at 5-6 but since it was earlier than usual it must have been 2-3 in the night. It's hard to imagine how Franz could see anything at all inspecting a flooded construction site in the middle of the night, in pouring rain with only a lamp as light. The visibility must have been close to zero.

The story goes that Franz paused for while in a small shed and wanted to escape the rain for a short while. The door to the shed was impossible to shut one opened due to the amount of mud.
So Franz sat there in the shed, with his lamp and outside the door there where a wall of rain.

What happend now is something that for many years was keept in the family. Out of this wall of rain entered a devilish creature, it only just entered and then turned around and escaped.
Franz froze and didn't move for a long time. He tried to describe the creature that he saw and it was about the height of 8-9 year old child. It was black and covered in fur, the face was impossible to make out but it was not human. When the creature turned away Franz said he saw something that looked like wings or a cape.

franz keept this story for himself for many years, not certain it had really happend or if he had fallen asleep and had a nightmare. Either way he didn't want to tell anything that would be laughed about or risk being mocked as crazy.

Now since Franz is deceased and his children and grandchildren all know about this story and the story even was published in a stort story contest in the nineties the story of this creature can be told without the upsetting Franz.

I think this story is a wonderful example of the kind of stories from this area about an unknown, black creature. I my opinion it's most likely an Alp or another still unknown creature but from the description of the fur, the length and the wings it fits the description of so many other eye witnesses.

My motivation.

My father 1964

One of my earliest childhood memories is then I was 2-3 years old and in the forest with my father.
The memory of trees that seemed to stretch all the way to the sky is strong. When I was older I followed him when he was hunting. Endless hours waiting in silence. Moving a bit and then waiting once more.
Never have I experienced something with such low level of action or engagement (99,9% just sitting still) and still the adrenalin and excitement. Everyone who ever been on a hunt know what I mean. It's hard to explain but it's a very strong feeling. One could argue you're against nature when on a hunt but it's quite the oposite. When engaging in the everyday life/death, prey/predator life you're on the same level as the nature.
Instead of just watch, being an spectator in the wood you play a role and are engaged.

I've hunted more or less everything that there is to hunt in Finland, I've been tracking bigfoots in Kentucky and been on numerous travels investigating and researching spottings of the unknown.

Not really a challenge to shot a croc?

It's the hunt that's the interesting part. The shot puts you on the same level as the beast but it's like a side effect, something that I don't really want. The biggest challenge is not to kill an elephant, an rhino or a shark. I would be one out of hundred, one out of thousands who shot a just about any beast on the planet. Name one wild beast that you're allowed to hunt and i say I can hunt it down in 3-4 days with the right equipment and guides. That's no sport.



What on the other hand is a sport is to hunt down the unknown. And the unknown is only unknown until we know. I want to make that difference. make the unknown known.

Support

I have during my research found lots of real evidence and hard fact about the ALp. Photos, remains and now lately a new film of a sighting in Gradnitz. We're a team of 6 finnish scientist/hunters coming to Austria to try to locate the Alp and capture or shot one. We're arriving the 27th of August and staying until the 10th. We're going to explore the Alp myth and through fieldwork and observations try to hunt on down. This is a unique expedition and the Alp has never been hunted with modern equipment such as heat sensitive cameras, night cameras and motion sensors. We bring a mobile Forensic Lab and will analyse sampels in order to se if we can find traces of several individuals.

But we need your help. In order to find the Alp we need recent information of strange sightings in the Waldviertel area. Anything that's out of the ordinary. Changed patterns in the wild life, dead animal in unusual places, sightings of big birds (might be the Alp) or anything that help us to pinpoint the location of the Alp. Email me at tapiom9@gmail.com.

Thanks!

The creature in the nineties.

This image was put in connection with the film of the -92 spotting.
What it is is hard to tell. What is sure is that it's not a bird, bat, gigant bat / flying fox.

The type of trees are the same in the film as in this image. I think they closely linked in time and place.
I don't know if it's a still from a film or a photo, I'm quite sure it's a frame from a film.
If anyone has seen any more images of this please email me at tapiom9@gmail.com

Pterodaktyl

This is one of the most popular Pterodactyl clips around.
This is a good example of a bird being mistaken for a pre-historic creature.

The No rule when looking at clips like this is:
What's the most likely explanation? Usually that is something natural. Only then these likely explanations have been ruled out there's cause to believe there's something crypozoological.

This clip is a perfect illustration. The most likely is that this is a albatross.
So since the probability for this is 100 000 times bigger then it being a creature that has been extinct for 60 million years the rule say it's an albatross.

New cameras

We got three new camperas from Argus today. The Argus SC Night Vision heat detecting.

Wonderful piece of technology! The Argus SC has been specifically designed to help police, security and law enforcement officers to detect the heat signatures of people and objects. It can be used as a night vision aid for conditions of zero visibility including complete darkness, and smoke. Because the energy being sensed is heat rather than light, the camera can be used in both day and night operations.

Due to inherent levels of infrared heat energy, people are easily visible to the Argus SC 24 hours a day, and because Argus SC is very sensitive, detecting temperature variations lower than 0.05oC, it is ideal for a series of security applications.

A Field Guide to the Creatures that Stalk the Night

Interesting reading about the Alp.

The Alp in popular culture

A fun thing is that the Alp has made it's way into popular culture!
The game The Witcher.

"No other monster inspires so many myths and fallacies as the alp. People believe that this vampire is able to turn into a black dog or a venomous toad. They mistake alps for succubi, believing them to be lecherous and inclined to seduce handsome young men. Folk tales describe their charm and their beautiful, seductive voices, as well as their loathing of virgins. What is true beyond any doubt is that they move noiselessly and attack by surprise, rarely giving their victims as much as a chance to scream in terror."

Alp territory

As always there usually is a reason for a spotting. Alp are extremely shy and this is the reason of the rare spottings. So when a Alp is spitted it's usually not by chance. As any other animal they are territorial and if not seen it's because their territory is remote or isolated. There would have been lots of Alp spottings if this were not the case. Since the Alps live in forests it's disturbances in these environments that force the Alp out and being seen. One example of this disturbances is logging. Huge areas are cut down and this forces not only the Alp but other animals to seek new territories.

Look at the images below, this is what I talk about. This kind of disturbances effects all wild life and decreases the animals natural habits.

Youtube with wings

There's a lot of film on youtube about flying monsters. Most of them has a natural explanation, this film clearly shows bats and NOT flying monsters. It's light from the camera that reflects on the bats.
The refections are causing the trail of light.

Kentucky 2009 looking for the notorious Bigfoot

2009 I went to Kentucky to see if I could find the Bigfoot. There had been several spottings around Owensboro. We flew to Cincinnati and spent 10 days camping in the woods. There were actually one more spotting during the time we where there but even thought we found strange tracks (they could have been old bear tracks) we didn't see the Bigfoot. I'm not sure about the bigfoot really and I'm not saying it because we didn't find it, there are so many spottings and one real dead bigfoot has never been presented.
There might have been bigfoots in the 18 and 19th century and this can very well be the origin of the myth but I don't think there can be any real bigfoot wandering about in the heacy populated areas in the US today. But you never know and since a ticket to Cincinnati is only 850 USD it's well worth it. And even if you don't find the creature the nature is wonderful, there's plenty of deer to hunt and the beer is great!
Especially the Kentucky Ale

The Expedition

The expeditions six members.

Antero Laine (FI)

Hunter

Kalevi Järvinen (FI)

Vetrinairian

Matti Virtanen (FI)

Hunter

Mikael Eriksson (SWE)

Ethologist

Christian Reilly (UK)

Photographer

and me Tapiom.

From left, Antero, Matti and second to the right Mikael. Photo Tapiom

Books on the Alp

For those who want to read more about Alps here are some reading tips.


• W. Ford, Michael, (2006) Book of the Witch Moon Choronzon Edition: Chaos, Vampiric & Luciferian Sorcery p. 17, Succubus Publishing; Choronzon edition ISBN 1-4116-8136-3
• Lurker, Manfred (Ger. 1984, Eng. 1987) The Routeledge Dictionary of Gods, Goddesses, Devils and Demons p. 9, Routeledge & Kegan, ISBN 0-415-34018-7
• Curran, Dr. Bob (2005),Vampires: A Field Guide to the Creatures that Stalk the Night p. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, Career Press, ISBN 1-56414-807-6

This is from the book A Field Guide to the Creatures that Stalk the Night

Alp According to Wikipedia

I think Wikipedia is the best thing that happend since electricity, the combined knowledge of mankind in one place. Read this interesting post.

An alp is a nightmare creature originating in German folklore.

Not to be mistaken with the similarly named Alp-luachra, the alp is sometimes likened to a vampire, but its behavior is more like that of the incubus. It is unique from both of these creatures in that it wears a magic hat called a Tarnkappe, from which it draws its powers. The word "alp" is a variation on the word "elf". It is also known by the following names: trud, mare, mart, mahr, schrat, and walrider. Many variations of the creature exist in surrounding European areas, such as the Druden and Schratteli.

Read more here

Before It's News

Ol' David at Before it's News got hold of this. Does this mean it's news now? :)

Myths about the Alp #1

There are so many myths about the Alp and I thought I would collect some.
99% of them are rubbish but they are quite entertaining.
As of many myths they come from something and somewhere among these there are
a grain of truth.

How to Ward an Alp off In the still of the night one can hear the sound that they make in the wall while getting in. If one gets up quickly and plugs up the hole, then they must stay in the room and cannot escape, even after the doors have been opened. Then, before setting them free, one must make them promise to never disturb the place again. On such occasions they have complained pitifully that they have little children at home who will perish if they do not leave. Some people have laid a hackle (iron-toothed comb for the preparation of flax) on their bodies in order to keep alps away. Alps are said to be able to turn it over, pressing the points into the sleeper's body. A better precaution is to turn one's shoes around at the side of the bed, so that the hooks and the laces are next to you. If attacked by an alp, in order to keep it away the victim has to put its thumb in its hand, and the alp will have to retreat. They can also be repelled with horse heads. When a nurse diapers a child, she must make the sign of the cross and open up a corner. Otherwise the alp will re-diaper the child. If an alp is pressing upon, the victim has to think, "Trud, come tomorrow, and I will lend you something!". The alp will immediately retreat and come the next day in the form of a human, in order to borrow something. It is believed that by stopping up the keyhole, placing one's shoes with the toes facing the door, and then getting into bed backwards one can protect oneself against nightmares or "Mortriden." Further, one can put something made from steel, for example an old pair of scissors, in one's bed straw.

The creature sighted for the first time since 1942

This is truly one unique film. It was found on an old VHS tape. The creator either didn't discover the strange action in the background or didn't want to tell anyone about it.
But someone found the tape and published it on Archive.org (the junkyard of online videos)
See the original clip here, http://www.archive.org/details/Tape_cSummer1992Waldviertel



It was recognized and republished on Youtube, see below



This clip has been the subject to a lot of discussion on forums all over the net.
The explanation varies from a bird or an airplane. It's clearly neither.
A plane flying at this speed and altitude are bound to crash.

No known birds have this shape so it's something else.

The Routledge Dictionary of Gods, Goddesses, Devils and Demons (Routledge Dictionaries)

More about the Alp in this great book:

This dictionary covers, in one volume, over 1,800 of the most important deities and demons from around the world. From classical Greek and Roman mythology to the gods of Eastern Europe and Mesopotamia, from Nordic giants to Islamic jinns and Egyptian monsters, it is packed with descriptions of the figures most worshipped and feared around the world and across time. 

The Finnish hunter

My name is Tapio Mäkinen and I'm an adventurer, rocker and finnish. The last five years I have been looking for crypozoological creatures and are trying to hunt one down. I've been to Kentucky looking for a bigfoot, to India looking for the Yeti and to Sweden looking for the Storsjö odjuret.

My latest project is to track down an Alp. There have been a couple of recent spottings of an Alp in Austria and since it's only 150 minutes from Finland I've decided to go there and hunt it down.

I've assembled a team of 6 people with different backgrounds needed for this expedition.

This blog is dedicated to my research and my preparation before the trip.

If someone has any leads or more evidence please email me at tapiom9@gmail.com.

If you have any experience of hunting and would like to participate in an expedition fron the August 30 to September 13 just send me an email. I'm bringing the nightvision cameras, motion sensors and my rifle. No pay but a big adventure and in case of success, eternal fame.