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Post by casper on Jun 30, 2011 19:33:41 GMT -6
So what did you see?
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Post by Morgan Sierra on Jul 1, 2011 1:10:47 GMT -6
Carnivorous SquirrelsWhen people think of squirrels they probably imagine a bunch of furry little nut-crunching critters that scamper up and down trees gathering acorns, berries and seeds and storing them away for the winter. They probably do not picture some vicious carnivore with blood dripping from its fangs as it ravenously feasts on a fresh kill. This last image, however, is exactly what a friend of mine encountered while on a recent trip to San Antonio. John Bednarczyk was wondering peacefully among the live oaks and elms surrounding the Alamo when he spied a gruesome sight. High up in the branches of a nearby tree was a squirrel--one of those furry little nut-crunchers--that was munching on a freshly killed bird. He could not believe his eyes. The feathers were flying as this furry little fiend happily covered himself with guts and gore. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration since the squirrel was actually very tidy about his meal, but it was still a shock to see. Who ever heard of a meat-eating squirrel? He was so surprised that he called me on the phone to tell me about it. He also snapped a few pictures which I asked him to forward to me because I had never heard of a carnivorous squirrel either. After doing a little research I found out that squirrels actually do sometimes eat meat. According to Wikipedia squirrels belong to a family of rodents that include chipmunks, marmot and prairie dogs. They are also closely related to beaver and dormice. Most rodents are opportunistic scavengers that eat whatever food they are able to get their paws on. Squirrels cannot digest cellulose so the foods they eat must be rich in protein, carbohydrates and fats. Nuts and seeds make up the bulk of their diet but they also feed on fruits, fungi, insects, eggs, and in some cases, small animals. Scientists have done studies where they examined the stomach contents of a number of dead squirrels and found that around 10% had the remains of some type of vertebrate creatures in their stomachs. Lizards, snakes, smaller mammals and birds were predominant, although one adult squirrel was actually found to have killed and eaten a baby squirrel. This does not mean that the furry little critters are vicious blood-thirsty predators. They probably just eat eat whatever happens to be available. When food is plentiful nuts and acorns are much easier to gather than a living animal which must be stalked and killed. When faced with hunger, however, the squirrel is capable of killing and eating whatever is necessary for survival, including members of its own kind. This puts a big red stain on the squirrel's cute, furry little image. I had no idea squirrels were meat-eaters. From now on whenever I go for a walk in the woods I am going to be glancing nervously up in the trees wondering if I'm going to be attacked. I can't think of anything that would be much worse than being eaten by a nut-cruncher!
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Post by lois on Jul 1, 2011 23:09:48 GMT -6
Sky, this is the photo that got on my thread when I posted a link.. so weird..
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Post by skywalker on Jul 2, 2011 5:57:35 GMT -6
I posted it on facebook also. Maybe you clicked on it there and that's how you got the link for it.
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Post by starshipdisaster on Jul 2, 2011 17:21:47 GMT -6
I saw a squirrel eat a rat once. A friend of mine kept one for a pet, one day when I was at his apartment a rat ran across the room. Squirrel jumped up ran across the room and bit it on the back of the neck and ate it. Crazy
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Post by casper on Jul 4, 2011 17:01:14 GMT -6
I've seen squirels eat animals before. they don't do it very often but if they are hungry they will. Is that the weird thing you saw by the spring? You still haven't seen the ghost yet?
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Post by skywalker on Jul 4, 2011 21:29:21 GMT -6
Haven't seen the ghost yet but I did see something weird. I took pictures of it with my brand new digital camera. I will let y'all know all about it just as soon as I figure out how to put the darned pictures on the darned computer.
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Post by skywalker on Jul 9, 2011 21:55:47 GMT -6
Wooohooooo!! I figured out how to put photos from my camera onto the forum! You peoples are in for some trouble now! ;D ;D
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Post by Morgan Sierra on Jul 9, 2011 23:08:31 GMT -6
I've been out to Hannah Spring several times in the past month looking for any sign of the ghost. So far I have not had much luck, but like I said before I have seen and heard something unusual. The first time I went there was in the day time. I wanted to walk around and familiarize myself with the area. I already knew it pretty well from when I was growing up in Lampasas but there were a few places back in that area that even I had not seen because it used to be private property. (Of course that never stopped me before : I took my new digital camera too because I was hoping I would be able to put some photos on the forum if I could ever figure out how the darned thing worked. I finally did. Here is a picture of Hannah Spring the way it looks today. As you can see it is just a big round pool with a stone wall around it. The water is crystal clear but it has a bunch of moss and gunk floating on top of it because the city never cleans it out. The water flows out of the spring and across the road to where those trees are. Over in that area is where the ghost is supposed to appear. Now here is the part where I saw something weird. I was following the stream of water, which like I said was crystal clear, when I noticed that all of a sudden it turns blue. Not just blue like you would normally expect water to be, but a pastel chalk colored blue. The water almost looked like it was glowing! The water at the far end of the stream suddenly turns blue for some reason. Here is a close up picture of it. That is not a reflection of the sky. I have no idea why it turns blue like that. Any ideas? I suppose it could be some type of optical illusion or something. I'll give it some more attention the next time I go out there. After my first visit to the area I later came back several more times during both day and night. One time at night I heard what sounded like a woman screaming, which is what the ghost is reported to sound like, but I couldn't tell if it really was a ghost making the sound. There is a meat-packing plant just a couple blocks away and the sound of voices could have been coming from there. There were a lot of cars in the parking lot. There could have been some people yelling about something or another. The spot that I was in put the meat plant in the same general direction that the ghost supposedly should have been so the sound could easily have come from the plant. I'm going to be camping out again in Lampasas in a few days so I will continue investigating. I'll keep y'all posted.
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Post by lois on Jul 9, 2011 23:51:13 GMT -6
Sky . now that is weird. green stream turning blue. Does it always appear like this to the naked eye? I mean if you went back would the stream still have this green turning to blue in the stream. If it is not a reflection of the sky, I have no idea at all . Maybe the bottom resources are different at the point of change. Like red clay makes a stream look bloody. I have seen this before. I would go and stick a stick in the green and then in the blue part and see what you get. Of course use two different sticks. How deep is it. Would a long pole touch bottom? It looks shallow to me..
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Post by skywalker on Jul 9, 2011 23:56:37 GMT -6
It's not very deep...no more than a foot or two at the most. I'm going to be back down there on Monday so I'll check it again then. There's got to be an explanation for it, I just need to find out what it is. I'll figure it out.
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Post by skywalker on Jul 13, 2011 14:35:23 GMT -6
I just went back out there and looked at the stream and the water is no longer blue like it was before. Now it all looks the same. I checked the mud at the bottom also and it is all the same type of mud in both areas. The sky today was just as blue as it has ever been but no blue in the water. I have no idea why it was like that before but both my eyes and the camera saw it. That's weird. I'm going back out tonight to look for the ghost. Wish me luck.
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Post by casper on Jul 13, 2011 17:08:21 GMT -6
Good luck! If you see the ghost take a picture of it!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2011 19:03:55 GMT -6
Good luck!
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Post by casper on Jul 31, 2011 20:46:40 GMT -6
Whatever happened to the ghost? you were supposed to take a picture of it skywalker. Where's the picture? Where's the ghost?
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Post by skywalker on Aug 11, 2011 23:25:22 GMT -6
Sorry, dude. I'll get back to the ghost hunting very soon. Right now I am out in West Texas checking out the Marfa lights. I took some pictures and will post them very soon.
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Post by Morgan Sierra on Aug 12, 2011 22:21:12 GMT -6
I just saw another UFO, although this one may have been an IFO. I just don't know what it was. I was driving down Interstate 10 in the middle of nowhere close to Deming, New Mexico when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. Some weird white colored thingy was hanging in the sky off to my left. The sun was setting and the clouds were a dark gray color behind the white whatever it was. Also I could see sunlight reflecting off of it and a darker shadow on the side opposite the sun. It definitely was some kind of physical object. As I continued driving I was keeping watch on it and I noticed that it was further away from the mountains, that were about a mile away, but closer than the clouds behind it. I would guess the distance was probably about 2 to 3 miles away. I pulled over and took some photos but only one of them turned out halfway decent and even it is a little bit blurry. The way it looks in the photo is the way it looked in real life. It was not round like a ballon or blimp, but looked like two round things joined together. Here is an enlargement of the blurry white thing. The object was not moving at all but seemed to be just hanging in the sky. I finally started driving again and trying to find a side road that I could take to get closer to it but there were no darned roads out there. It was nothing but desert as far as the eye could see. I drove about 10 miles trying to find a road to take but was unable to and I eventually lost sight of it behind a mountain. Any ideas as to what it might be? The only thing I could guess at this point in time is possibly some type of large balloon maybe. I couldn't say for sure though.
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Post by Steve on Aug 13, 2011 1:08:03 GMT -6
Marfa Lights I suspect you are seeing a mirage. Can we call them 'the Deming Lights'? The high desert plateau's make for many atmospheric inversions. Same for the famous Marfa lights 255 miles away to the East south east. At Marfa, Texas, the lights there are a sort of mirage caused by the bending and distortion of automobile lights from sharp temperature gradients between cold and warm layers of air. Marfa is located at an altitude over 4,000 feet above sea level. Wide temperature differentials of 50–60 degrees Fahrenheit (28–33 degrees Celsius) between high and low temperature are quite common there. In the case of the Marfa Lights, stories or claims of these lights existing before automobiles is perpetuated from the first published account of the lights appeared in the July 1957 issue of Coronet Magazine. This article is the sole & only source for anecdotal claims that the lights date back to the 19th century. In May 2008, scientists from Texas State University used portable spectroscopic equipment to study the origins of the mysterious lights observed from the Marfa lights viewing station. Spectrometer readings of the Marfa Lights revealed they have the same light wavelength as automobile lights, or distant camp fires. In an earlier scientific study in 2004, the University of Texas at Dallas spent four days investigating and recording lights observed southwest of the Marfa view park using traffic volume monitoring equipment, video cameras, binoculars, and chase cars. The frequency of lights observed southwest of the Marfa view park matched with the frequency of vehicle traffic on U.S. 67. The motion of the observed lights was in a straight line, corresponding to U.S. 67 too. When the scientific group parked a vehicle on U.S. 67 and flashed its headlights, this was visible as well at the Marfa view park. A quick 'search' reveals Deming, New Mexico is elevated 4335 feet above sea level too. In your beautiful photo Sky, the shape of the lights being two horizontal arranged ovals would be consistant with automoble head lights too. Steve
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Post by skywalker on Aug 13, 2011 10:33:30 GMT -6
Nice try, Steve, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. The object I saw in Deming didn't look like a light when I was looking at it, it looked like a solid object. When I first spotted it there was light from the setting sun reflecting off of the western side of it but at the same time there were dark shadows on the eastern side. When the sun went down a little further behind some clouds the color evened out to the white that shows up in the photo. I kept my eyes on that thing for a good 30 minutes, while I was driving, while I stopped to take the pictures, and again when I started driving again trying to find a road to get closer to it. I'm positive there was a solid object up there in the sky. I just could not tell what it was. Of course, stupid me totally forgot that I had a telescope in the back of my pickup...I probably could have identified the darned thing with that. As for the Marfa lights, I personally don't think they are reflections of headlights. If that were the case why would they show up every night regardless of what the weather is like? I've seen them in the summer, winter...even when it was raining. And why do they only appear in that one location? There are plenty of other areas that have similar atmospheric conditions to Marfa but there are no lights showing up. They only appear in that one small area for some reason. I'm going to be back there for a few days next week so I will check to see if there is any correlation between cars on the highway and the lights that show up.
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Post by Morgan Sierra on Aug 13, 2011 11:11:33 GMT -6
Here are some of the photos that I took when I was there on August 11. The photos were taken between 2100 and 2130 central time from the Marfa Lights Viewing Area just east of Marfa on highway 67/90. Temperatures were in the low 70s with mostly cloudy and overcast skies because a thunderstorm had just passed through. The red light on the left of each photo is a radio tower. The light constantly blinks on and off. I am only showing photos that have the red light lit up to use as a point of reference so you can see how the other lights change locations. The most lights that I saw at one time (excluding the radio tower) was five. They would usually appear, sometimes get brighter and then fade away or blink out suddenly without moving. This is in contrast with other times I have viewed the lights when they did move, sometimes quite dramatically. All of the lights I saw on this night were white in color which is also in contrast to other times when they have been a variety of different colors. I've seen them red, blue, yellow, green, pink and purple. They are always different from one night to the next. Another thing I would like to add that is not apparent in the photos is that there is a mountain range off in the distance where the lights were appearing. i could barely make out the mountains in the background and I noticed that sometimes the lights would appear at the base of the mountain and other times would appear up near the top of it. There are no roads back in that area. After viewing the lights at the Viewing Area for approximately an hour I started driving west towards Marfa and using the radio tower as a point of reference I was able to see the lights all the way to the outskirts of town which meant that I drove for approximately 6 miles with the lights still remaining visible to me. They were no longer visible once I got east of Marfa.
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Post by Morgan Sierra on Aug 13, 2011 11:23:48 GMT -6
Here is an enlargement of one of the lights. As you can see it appears to be round which would argue against it being a pair of automobile headlights. I will have more photos to post next week when I get back there. Right now I am heading towards Nevada and a certain area just outside of Las Vegas that I am not at liberty to divulge at this time.
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Post by Steve on Aug 13, 2011 13:53:19 GMT -6
Nice try, Steve, but I'm going to have to disagree with you on that one. The object I saw in Deming didn't look like a light when I was looking at it, it looked like a solid object. When I first spotted it there was light from the setting sun reflecting off of the western side of it but at the same time there were dark shadows on the eastern side. When the sun went down a little further behind some clouds the color evened out to the white that shows up in the photo. I kept my eyes on that thing for a good 30 minutes, while I was driving, while I stopped to take the pictures, and again when I started driving again trying to find a road to get closer to it. I'm positive there was a solid object up there in the sky. I just could not tell what it was. Of course, stupid me totally forgot that I had a telescope in the back of my pickup...I probably could have identified the darned thing with that. As for the Marfa lights, I personally don't think they are reflections of headlights. If that were the case why would they show up every night regardless of what the weather is like? I've seen them in the summer, winter...even when it was raining. And why do they only appear in that one location? There are plenty of other areas that have similar atmospheric conditions to Marfa but there are no lights showing up. They only appear in that one small area for some reason. I'm going to be back there for a few days next week so I will check to see if there is any correlation between cars on the highway and the lights that show up. Referring to the Deming photo here you posted. About the other lights in this dicussion - the Marfa Lights. Headlights would not show up every night, only when he atmospheric conditions were right from the Marfa observation area. Nope, they're car headlights & camp fires. Steve
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Post by lois on Aug 13, 2011 21:03:08 GMT -6
Does Louise know you are coming? I will have to tell her. She may know why you may be going there if it is vegas news.. Whatever it is good luck
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2011 1:06:52 GMT -6
LOL Steve... I'm still not convinced... especially with the winky-face you posted. ;D
@ Sky: It looks like the metallic disc I saw when I was 12 with the sun glinting off of it. That's what I think it looks like anyway... ~shrug~
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2011 3:45:05 GMT -6
I just saw another UFO, although this one may have been an IFO. I just don't know what it was. I was driving down Interstate 10 in the middle of nowhere close to Deming, New Mexico when I spotted something out of the corner of my eye. Some weird white colored thingy was hanging in the sky off to my left. The sun was setting and the clouds were a dark gray color behind the white whatever it was. Also I could see sunlight reflecting off of it and a darker shadow on the side opposite the sun. It definitely was some kind of physical object. As I continued driving I was keeping watch on it and I noticed that it was further away from the mountains, that were about a mile away, but closer than the clouds behind it. I would guess the distance was probably about 2 to 3 miles away. I pulled over and took some photos but only one of them turned out halfway decent and even it is a little bit blurry. The way it looks in the photo is the way it looked in real life. It was not round like a ballon or blimp, but looked like two round things joined together. Here is an enlargement of the blurry white thing. The object was not moving at all but seemed to be just hanging in the sky. I finally started driving again and trying to find a side road that I could take to get closer to it but there were no darned roads out there. It was nothing but desert as far as the eye could see. I drove about 10 miles trying to find a road to take but was unable to and I eventually lost sight of it behind a mountain. Any ideas as to what it might be? The only thing I could guess at this point in time is possibly some type of large balloon maybe. I couldn't say for sure though. Ive looked at this for quite awhile now. I guess I dont know enough to say either way, but if these are headlights its one illusion that has me puzzled. Ive seen some pretty good mirages in the deserts out west, but never one like this. Im resting on the fence with this
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Post by auntym on Aug 14, 2011 10:36:47 GMT -6
to me, these lights look like what everyone is describing when they visit rachael nevada ....
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Post by skywalker on Aug 14, 2011 12:50:31 GMT -6
Whatever the thing was it had to be pretty big. It was at least two miles away from me when I saw it. I still think it was a solid object...maybe a big giant balloon of some kind? A weird looking blimp? I really don't have a clue. As for the Marfa lights, campfires and car headlights are just two of the many cthings people have come up with to try to explain them. Some of the more wacko explanations I have heard are swamp gas, miniature volcanoes, giant fireflies and jackrabbits running through the bushes with glow worms attached to their fur. (Some "scientist" actually came up with that last theory : Most of the people who come up with these explanations have never been out there. I'll be back out there in a few days to take some more pictures....that is if the MIBs don't grab me first. By the way auntym, since you mentioned Rachel, Nevada take a wild guess where I am...
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Post by auntym on Aug 14, 2011 13:07:04 GMT -6
By the way auntym, since you mentioned Rachel, Nevada take a wild guess where I am... no kidding!..... .... ;D ....be careful!
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2011 13:33:47 GMT -6
By the way auntym, since you mentioned Rachel, Nevada take a wild guess where I am... no kidding!..... .... ;D ....be careful! Yea... seriously... BE CAREFUL DUDE!!
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Post by Steve on Aug 14, 2011 14:10:31 GMT -6
no kidding!..... .... ;D ....be careful! Yea... seriously... BE CAREFUL DUDE!! Thoughts of Sky ;D Be careful. Take some pictures of 'the mailboxes' and the little alien inn instead... Steve
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