Birmingham UFO Group Report
Author: Dave Hodrien
Release Date: 23/06/2014
Sighting Details
Leigh is a gardener from Wythall, a village South of Birmingham. On the morning of 8th June he was out gardening at a property close to where Heath Rise meets Wychelm Farm Road. It was a bright sunny day with only a small amount of cloud in the sky. A moderate breeze was blowing. The time was approximately 10.25am.
Aerial map showing the sighting location:
Leigh had just set up his equipment and begun cutting a hedge. He glanced up and suddenly noticed an object appear from around the side of the neighbouring house. The object was completely spherical and slightly larger than a basketball. It was dark green in colour and was not reflective or metallic in appearance. There were no markings or protrusions on the object at all.
The UFO appeared to be about 50 feet away from his location and was just above the rooftops, approximately 40 feet off the ground. Leigh was initially viewing it at an angle of 45 degrees. The sphere was moving directly to the North on a level and straight path. Initially it was moving at around 25mph.
Leigh watched the object for about 3-5 seconds, after which it began to gradually increase in speed until it was travelling at around 45 mph. It was soon lost from sight behind other nearby housing. Leigh did not have a camera on him at the time, his mobile phone is a basic one without a camera, and he says even if it did have one he would not have had time to get it out and film the UFO.
Sighing Analysis
The most obvious question to ask regarding this sighting is “Was it a balloon?” The relatively small size, rounded shape, unusual colour and lack of any clearly intelligent manoeuvres all point towards this as a possible explanation. The reasons why the witness himself feels it was not a balloon are as follows:
- The object was completely spherical, most ordinary balloons are more tear drop or light bulb shaped.
- Balloons often have either wording on or string attached to them, this had neither.
- It’s movement path was far too linear, balloons usually drift as they float on air streams and ascend or descend.
However to counteract these arguments it is possible to purchase completely round balloons without wording on, and it is possible that it was caught on a particularly strong air current making it drift horizontally on a straight course. Also the witness did only observe it for around 10 seconds at most, perhaps if the sighting had been longer he would have noticed the object changing course.
Let’s assume for a moment that the object was not a balloon. If so what else could it have been? It is possible that the object was not an inflatable but was a spherical military drone. While these are not widely used, it is still a valid possibility. Also this could explain the dark green colour, a colour often used with military hardware. However if it was a drone it is unlikely it would have been silent running, and the witness is quite certain the object he saw was making no sound at all. Also you would have to question exactly why the military would be flying a drone in a residential area of Wythall in broad daylight.
If it was not a balloon or a military drone, there is a chance that it was extra-terrestrial in origin. Un-manned spheres are regularly reported around the world, many of which have been seen to perform incredible manoeuvres similar to other larger craft types. It is widely believed that they are used for monitoring or observational purposes. My personal view is that it was most likely a balloon of some kind, however the idea that it was an ET sphere cannot be ruled out.
Copyright Dave Hodrien 2014