The Thunderbird

For decades, bird lovers have flocked to the Rio Grande Valley to see a large variety of their feathered friends. But in 1976, hunters scoured the area trying to win a reward for the capture of a creature which became known to residents here as Big Bird. For about two months in the mid-1970s, Big Bird — not the friendly tall, yellow bird that loves children on Sesame Street — terrorized Valley residents. The 5-foot-tall bird was described as "horrible-looking," according to The Monitor’s archives. Its wings were large enough to be folded over its body and it had large, dark red eyes attached to a gray, gorilla-like face. Its head wasbald and it made a loud, shrill sound through its 6-inch-long beak.

Tom Waldon claimed to have found its tracks on Jan. 2, 1976, near his home in Harlingen. The three-toed tracks measured 8 inches across and pressed an inch and a half into the ground. Three teachers from San Antonio claimed to have seen Big Bird in that city as well, on Feb. 24, 1976. The trio later pointed to a picture in a book of a pteranodon, an extinct giant flying reptile, as being most like what they had seen. Some bird experts told area residents that the bird was a lost condor or a jabiru, a large Central American stork which can boast a 10-foot wing span, big tracks and a featherless head. The jabiru has a breeding ground about 250 miles south of McAllen,near Tampico, Mexico, experts pointed out. But just as mysteriously as it arrived, Big Bird seemed to disappear overnight. But for some Valley residents, what exactly the Big Bird was is still a mystery.THE FIRST SIGHTINGSThe Big Bird sighting thought to be the first was Jan 1, 1976, when Tracey Lawson, then age 11, and her cousin Jackie Davies, then 14, were playing in Lawson’s back yard near Harlingen.The two girls say they saw the bird standing about 100 yards away on an irrigation canal, according to the Atlas of the Mysterious in North America.Lawson went inside to get her binoculars, and when she returned, she saw the bird staring back at her.Big Bird was more than 5 feet tall, she said, and when she and Davies ran inside to tell....

Central Wyoming sports fans for years have made the trek up to Swede Erickson Thunderbird Gym to witness Casper College's volleyball and basketball teams do battle.Over the years, thousands have watched the Thunderbirds, cheered the Thunderbirds and booed the Thunderbirds.But have you ever wondered why Casper College's teams are called the Thunderbirds -- or, in the case of the women's teams, the Lady Thunderbirds?And just what the heck is a thunderbird anyway, besides a mascot, a classic Ford automobile and a cheap alcoholic "beverage" that stretches the definition of "wine" to the limit?According to American Indian legends, thunderbirdswere a species of gigantic avian predators which terrorized the skies above North America in the distant past.The thunderbirds were said to cause thunder with their mighty wings and lightning with their eyes and were as large as war canoes.Of course, there were never any birds that actually shot lightning out of their eyes, but there are some who believe thunderbird legends are not entirely rooted in the Indians' imaginations.It is known through fossil evidence that in the prehistoric past there were winged creatures with wingspans several times larger than any bird alive today.For example, the teratorn, which lived during the Pleistocene, a period which ended around 11,000 years ago, had a wingspan of up to 25 feet, according to the Web site of the University of California's Museum ofPaleontology.There are also claims -- though unsubstantiated by orthodox science -- that something akin to the teratorn, or the thunderbird, still lives.According to cryptozoology.com, a Web site dedicated to the study of animals that may or may not exist, there have been many sightings of giant predatory birds within the confines of the United States in fairly recent times.Most of these purported sightings consist of people simply seeing "thunderbirds."But, supposedly, on July 25, 1977, a "thunderbird" attacked 65-pound Marlon Lowe of Lawndale, Ill., and carried him in its talons for about 30 feet before dropping the him.

Or so the story on cryptozoology.com goes.Most thunderbird sightings seem to take place in Pennsylvania and the Great Lakes region, according to cryptozoology.com.It seemsunlikely strange s...

Juan Acu'a looks scared. He first runs away from the press and then argues that he's tired of telling his story to the press out of a fear that no one will believe him anyway. The fact of the matter is that around 2 a.m. on Sunday, he went to drop off his brother-in-law and on his return home, he lived through an indescribable situation that he still cannot understand. "I was on my way to the smallhold where I live and two animals crossed my path--a large one and a small one. One bit my leg while the other went for my face. I shielded myself with my arm to defend myself. Later I jumped into the Canal Fiscal and managed to come up in front ofmy brother in law's house with my clothing all ripped.

They called the ambulance and I was taken to the hospital, getting there at 5:30 a.m. They cured me there, but nothing else," Acu'a explained. The resident says that the creatures were tremendously strong, and that he was in fear for his life all the time, since he still couldn't figure out what they were. "I think they may come back. I felt their claws...look at my body. They were always going for my face. I jumped into the canal because they wouldn't go into the water. They followed me along the edge and then flew. They were dog-faced and had wings. This isn't a normal situation, I told myself. They were much stronger than me; they got on top of me," he noted.Meanwhile, the district attorney of Parral, Ricardo Encina, noted that the injuries had been evidenced, but couldn't tell what caused them. "He has, in fact, defensive injuries on his arms, shoulders and back. He's very affected by what happened. We've initiated transactions such as a visit to the site, we've spoken to the victime and he has an appointment to see a physician. Then we'll know what we're up against." The D.A. dismissed the possibility that the wounds were caused by a human. "All I can think is that it's not an attack by a person, since these arent the cutting wounds we're used to seeing when a knife is involved. Nor does he shows blows, as though someone had given him a beating. Nor does he....