Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 04/01/2008 Hi I am one of the people that have seen UFOs, or should I call them that? In the paper they have got it wrong, we saw three objects quite a distance apart and they were orange in colour, they looked as if the under carriage was on fire, that's what it looked like. No noise at all, hope this will help. Regards Hilary Further information: They were three different objects it was a cloudy night and they were below the clouds no other aircraft in sight not flashing on and off just an orange glow untill out of sight. Never seen anything before. It was the dog barking outside, I had just let him out he was barking to go out when I went to see why he was looking up and barking till they went out of sight. It seamed about 10 mins because I was able to alert my family and they wached as well. Took a photo but all we could get was the street lighting and the trees. Regards Hilary Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 06/01/2008 Here as promised is the drawing, the main sketch is the the first sighting, the smaller one is the second sighting that I had of the same object before Christmas. 📷 The odd thing about the second sighting is that although I can remember what the object did down to the last detail, I can't for the life of me remember the day, date, or even the time! I know exactly where I was, The One Stop Shopping Centre at Perry Barr but nothing else. 📷 Memory failure like this is VERY unlike me, I usually have a virtually photographic memory for things of this sort...odd eh? The photo is a shot of the exact place that i saw the object from, on the day of the sighting however the sky was very very clear and the sun was shining brightly. Regards, XXXXX 📷 We showed the witness this picture taken in Manchester as the comparison were very similar, the witness said it sent shivers down her spine when she saw this picture as it was exactly what she saw. Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 14/01/2008 Shape of things to come? Two young Black Country girls have become the latest people to sight the mysterious unidentified flying object which has been dubbed the Dudley Dorito. Chelsea and Casey Bridges drew sketches of the UFO after spotting it while lying in bed at their grandmother’s house in Chestnut Avenue, on the Priory estate, in Dudley, at about 9pm on Tuesday 8th Jan. Chelsea, aged seven, and Casey, aged nine, were drifting off to sleep when they saw the object flying over Dudley Castle. The pair ran crying downstairs to tell their grandmother, Mrs Marie Bridges, aged 61, what they had seen and drew identical pictures of the strange craft.The sighting is the third time the mysterious object had been seen in the skies over the Black Country in the space of a month. In early December, dozens of people saw a huge orange “Dorito” with three lights flying over Halesowen and a similar object was seen by people living in Lower Gornal on New Year’s Day. 📷 Householders in Wallows Wood described the object as looking like an “arrowhead” with three orange lights arranged in the shape of an isosceles triangle.The Express & Star has been bombarded with messages speculating what it could be.Mrs Bridges said it was the girls’ “spooked” reaction which made her realise something was not right. “I was sat watching the TV and the girls were sleeping in my bed when they ran into the lounge looking scared,” she said. “They were both frightened and said they were scared something was coming to get them and asked if they could stay downstairs with me because they didn’t want to go back upstairs. “I made them both draw a picture of what they saw. They both drew what looked like a diamond shape with lights, although Casey said it only had lights in each corner and Chelsea said it had lights all around it. They’re used to seeing planes and helicopters and they never bother them so it can’t have been something like that. I joked to them that it was ET going home, but it didn’t make them laugh. I really believe it could be something from another planet.” Source The Express & Star

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 27/03/2008 Please find enclosed descriptions of my two most recent experiences. At 02.30am, on Tuesday 25th March 2008, I was standing in the rear bedroom of my sisters house in Bargate Drive, Belper, Derbyshire, when I noticed in the upper left hand of the window an object decending at a 60 degree angle from the South West heading towards a grassed area of land to the rear of Bargate Road. The object resembled a mexican sombrero hat, but was pink fleshy coloured, and had a very pronounced raised centre. I estimate it to have been around 7 feet across at its base. Its centre was raised up into a pinnacle, it glowed a strong pinky fleshy colour, and was clearly visible against the backdrop of stars. From an initial height of about 150 feet up, it descended in a slow and controlled manner at about 10 mph with its edges moving in a fluttering pattern not unlike a jelly fish swimming. It came to a rest on the ground to the left rear of the property. It stayed motionless by a tree for a couple of minutes before moving to the right at ground level, so as to cause it to be directly behind number 5 Bargate Road, and in direct head-on line of sight. The object stayed motionless for about 10 minutes, then began to glow. As it did so it raised up a couple of feet off the ground and transformed into a white streak of light which shot skywards vertically at high speed. I was awake and aware at the time because I have previously experienced a tone in my ears similar to an electrical transformer noise. I have heard this tone several times during 2005, and on each occasion experienced a sighting of some kind. At 11.30pm on Thursday 27th March 2008 I was in the rear upper bedroom to my sisters house, getting changed into my pyjamas for bed, when I began to experience a loud tone in my ears as above. I looked out of the window skywards and noticed to the upper right edge of the window that a small black orb or balloon like object about 10 feet across was descending from about 50 feet up towards our rear garden. It came from the East and descended slowly at about 5mph, at a 45 degree angle into the centre of the garden which is grassy and open. The object settled down. I then ran down stairs to the rear door, which is a two pane UPVC double glazed unit with full length side windows. As I approached the door I looked down and saw a small entity about 2 feet tall at the rear door looking inwards at me. It was a fleshy brown in colour, had the body of a young child in appearance, but had an enlarged head with a deeply furrowed brow similar to an elderly person or a worried person. It had two small eyes, a conventional child-like nose and ears and mouth. What struck me was the foetal like appearance of the body, with the elderly appearing features of the large head superimposed upon it. As I approached the door the entity suddenly turned away from the door, ran up the path and absorbed into the balloon orb-like object. This then raised up off the ground and lifted off vertically at about 5mph. I watched it until it was no longer visible against the starlit sky. Best regards, John S Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 13/04/2008 The Investigation The Kingswinford UFO incident occurred on the night of Sunday 10th February 2008, in Ridgewood near to Wordsley. The four witnesses involved often go to the woods in the late evening, start a fire and relax with some drinks till early hours of the morning. 10th February was one of these nights, but was by no means the first time they had been at the location. During their evening they had a close encounter with an extremely unusual flying object. The sighting lasted for quite a long time and certainly warranted a detailed investigation. On the evening of Saturday 12th April 2008 myself, my girlfriend Katie Francis and brother Andrew drove out to meet two of the four witnesses at the Old Cat pub, Wordsley. We arrived at 8.10pm and soon met up with Christian and Will Horton and their friend Tom. After a short while we then drove to meet up with the 3rd witness Jim Lees. Shortly after went and picked up the 4th witness Dave Moore, while Will, Jim and Tom walked on ahead to start up a fire at the location of the incident. Christian then directed us to Highcroft Avenue where we parked the car. One of the entrances to Ridgewood, the one always used by the witnesses, lies at the end of this road. We grabbed some drinks and snacks and entered the woods at 10.15pm. Arial view showing entrance to wood: 📷 Despite it having rained and hailed earlier in the day, the weather conditions were now very clear. The sky was filled with stars and there was only light cloud cover. I am also glad to say that it wasn’t too cold. Ridgewood lies on a slope, and after crossing a stile we found ourselves at the base of this. It was quite dark but due to the moonlight still possible to see. We had a torch with us anyway which we used to point out the many roots we had to step over. Even with this, I still managed to trip on one but luckily was not injured. As the ground began to level out at the top of the slope, Christian and Dave lead us along the path through the trees. After a short distance we entered the clearing where the incident took place. The others were already there and had got a nice fire going in the designated spot, a clear flat area of ground surrounded by logs and a couple of fallen trees. There was a clear view of the night sky above our heads and off to the west, towards the villages of Enville and Kinver. The woods were silent except for very occasional sounds of animals scuttling through the bushes. It was quite serene and not at all creepy. I felt I would have been comfortable walking there even on my own. The witnesses said the same, they had been to this clearing many times before, and had occasionally had to do this journey by themselves to meet up with the others. Arial view of sighting location: 📷 Photograph of us and the witnesses at the clearing (From left to right - Kate, Dave, Will, Jim, Andrew, Christian): 📷 Shortly after arriving I decided to interview each of the witnesses independently. One at a time I took them off to the side of the clearing and went through the same questions with them. All the witnesses seemed very sincere and believable, I have no doubt in my mind that they were telling the truth about what they saw. Their answers to the questions tied up on the whole. There were slight variations relating to the description of the object, movement and length of time of the sighting, but I got the feeling these were just down to their personal interpretation of what they saw, and also the fact it had been over two months since the incident took place. None of the witnesses appeared to be joking about the incident or elaborating on it in any way. They have gained nothing from revealing the details of their sighting. I believe it to be genuine. After interviewing the witnesses, Christian then took me to the edge of the woods where they had followed the object and then watched it for a while longer. There is a path leading round the edge of Ridgewood, along which runs a hedge and barbed wire fence. Peering over the hedge it is possible to see quite a way into the East, looking out over the lights of Dudley. Chris pointed out the location in the sky where the object moved to and performed manouvers for a time. He also mentioned to me the location of the field where they had returned to with their friend after the initial sighting of the object was over. Arial view showing witness position where they continued to watch the UFO: 📷 Photograph of Christian pointing out the direction which they watched the UFO move off in: 📷 Returning to the fire I then took some photographs. It was at this moment that something unsual happened. Dave saw a yellow flash of light coming from the west low down behind the trees. He said it glowed brightly and then faded away. We jokingly said it must have been the camera flash and nothing more was said about it. We relaxed, drank and chatted for a while, and even got some toasted marshmallows on the go. At around 2.00 am Kate was getting very tired so we decided to call it a night and put the fire out. Just as things were drawing to a close I was staring to the west through the trees and suddenly saw the same yellow flash of light myself! It was low down near the ground but not a single point but a wide glow of light. Nobody else saw it as it only lasted for a second before it died back down. We assumed it wasn’t a vehicle’s lights as we had been there for hours and only seen it happen twice. It was certainly bizarre but it probably had a rational explanation. Dave led us back to our car through the woods, while the other witnesses headed off in another direction to their homes. It was a very interesting evening, and the witnesses all provided me with excellent detailed descriptions of their sighting. Investigation Drawings Sighting area showing various locations: 📷 Positions and directions of the witnesses at the time of the sighting: 📷 Sighting Overview From the four witness interviews I obtained, it is possible to piece together an overall picture of what probably occurred on the night of 10th February. Chris, Will, Dave and Jim headed up to the clearing in Ridgewood late evening time and started a fire. They then sat, talked and drank a small amount of alcohol (Note: I do not believe drinking contributed to anything they experienced in any way). At around 11.30pm Dave suddenly spotted a bright white light with other smaller blue and red lights in the sky. It was several miles away from the woods at this point and travelling slowly and steadily in a North-East-Easterly direction over the villages of Enville and Kinver, at around 100 foot in the air. As the object got closer the others also became alerted to its presence. It continued on the same path and headed directly over the clearing in the woods where the witnesses were. Sighting location map showing path of UFO: 📷 As it passed overhead they could see it was black, octagonal in shape, and about the size of a house. It had a large central red light underneath and four smaller white lights at the corners. It made no sound as it passed over despite its closeness to the ground. As it reached the glade it slowed down a bit, as if surveying the witnesses. It then increased in acceleration quite a bit and continued in the same direction. The witnesses ran through the woods following it between the trees. They reached the edge of the wood and continued to watch it as it passed over houses towards the area of Dudley. On the horizon it then stopped and began making manoeuvres left and right, sometimes hovering still in the sky. It once again resembled a white light with tinges of red and blue in it at this point. The witnesses observed it for up to one hour. During this time Will felt a very unusual awareness of nature and actually turned round to stare back at the woods. He believes this was in some way connected with the object. After a long while they all decided to walk out of the woods to get their friend Tom from his house. They then returned to a field close to the entrance of the woods to look for the object again but could not see it. Arial view of the field location: 📷 Later as they all walked home, Dave and Christian both independently observed the object again at a distance. They could even see it from their own bedroom windows and were spooked by it for a while. The incident was first reported to Craig Lowe and Mark Martin, chairmen of the Birmingham UFO Group. They did some preliminary investigative work, and also contacted air traffic control and the Ministry of Defense to see whether they could shed any light on the incident. Neither of them responded with any possible suggestions as to what the object could have been. Witness Drawings Dave: The object from underneath as it passed over the clearing. 📷 William: The object flying over the clearing. (Top) The object as it appeared when further away. (Bottom) 📷 Christian: The object as it passed overhead. (Top) The object flying over the clearing. (Bottom) 📷 James: The object from underneath as it passed over the clearing. 📷 Interview Questionnaires Interview Details Date & Time: 12/04/08 10.51pm Location: Ridgewood, Kingswinford, near Summer Hill School Witness Details Name: David James Moore Age: 21 Address: Kingswinford, West Midlands Sighting Details Sighting Date & Time: Sunday 10th February 2008, Approx 11.30pm Weather Conditions: Very cold and mild with thin frost. Clear night sky with only light cloud. Could see stars and moon. No wind. What were you doing prior to sighting the object? Sitting around a fire we had built, chatting and drinking a bit. How many witnesses were there present at the time of the sighting? Four – Myself, Christian, Jim and Will. Which witness first sighted the object? I did. How did you first get alerted to the presence of the object? I was staring at the horizon over Envelle & Kinver when I suddenly noticed an extremely bright white light . What was your gut instinct when you first saw the object? I was confused – I was trying to work out in my mind what it could be. It which seemed too low to be a star or an aircraft. Can you give a description of the object, from when you first saw the object up until the end of the sighting? At a distance when I first saw the object it looked like a single bright white light. I estimate it was about 2 miles away at this point. As it got closer I could see three lights – A large central red light with a small white light to one side and a small blueish light to the other side. As the object approached and went over the glade I could see it was hexagonal shaped against the night sky, possibly main body of the object was actually black in colour. It had a central large red light and four smaller white lights at the corners which were flashing every few seconds but irregularly. As the object moved away onto the far horizon it once again looked like a white light but I could occasionally pick up tinges of red and blue in it. How big would you estimate the object was? About 8m x 8m. Could not see how high it was. I saw a garden a similar size after the event so used that to determine how big it probably was. How high would you estimate the object was in the sky? Did the object remain at this height for the duration of the sighting? I’d say it was about 70 foot or higher. It seemed to keep the same height from the ground so may have rose up a bit to come over the glade. What was the objects movement patterns and estimated speed? Did its speed change at all during the sighting? It was very calm and slow moving as it headed towards the glade and overhead, I estimate around 60mph. It seemed to slow down as it passed over. Then it sped up dramatically as it moved away. We followed the object to the edge of the trees and watched it flying over houses towards Sedgeley/Dudley. When it was on the far horizon it started moving left and right for quite a long time and also changing height. Did the object make any noises at any point during the sighting? No it was completely silent, there was not even any sound of air displacement. Did you hear any background noises during the sighting? Possibly trees blowing but not much as it was quite calm weather conditions. Approximately how long did the sighting last for? About 45 minutes from when I first spotted it. Did you consciously choose to stop watching the object or did it disappear from view? We consciously chose to stop looking at it. We walked out of the woods to get our friend Tom from his house. We then returned to the front edge of the woods in a nearby field. We sighted the object again but it was very far away. It seemed to come into and out of vision. I was a bit confused, it may not have been the same object. What were the other witnesses doing when you saw the object? When I first pointed it out there was little interest. As the object got closer to the glade they were in awe of it and also confused as to what it was. I panicked as it was so close to us. This made everyone else start to panic. I ran away from the glade but then tripped over and hurt my leg. After it started to move away we ran through the trees and watched it from the edge of the wood. Did yourself or any other witness take any photographs or video of the object? No. Jim had a digital camera but because we were panicking we did not think to use it. Did you feel any different before the sighting began? Not at all. How did you feel during the sighting? I was panicked but also extremely curious. Had a rush of adrenaline. How did you feel after the sighting? After the sighting was over I felt very hot. It was quite a cold night but I took my jacket off and was only wearing a short sleeved shirt. Christian felt my arm and said it was boiling. This was probably due to the adrenaline from seeing it. Did anything strange happen after the sighting was over? When we walked home and I got close to my house I could still see the object very high over the houses. I went inside and looked out of my bedroom window around 3am and could still see it. This is when I decided to e-mail BUFOG. If you close your eyes can you still picture the object? Vaguely. I remember the whole experience in more detail than the actual visual look of the object. What made you think it was something strange? The lighting pattern, odd shape, lack of noise, it was really unusual. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was alien? It would be an affirmation of what I thought it was. But I also realise it could have been secret government technology. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was military? It would take away a bit of the bizarreness factor. I would be relieved. Do you have any suspicions that the object may have a mundane explanation? No – I think it was definitely either military or alien. It didn’t fit any other explanations. Since the sighting, has it affected you in any way? I had extreme insomnia for a few weeks after the sighting, I didn’t want to sleep as I was disturbed by what I had seen. I now have a much greater interest in UFOs and the paranormal. Interview Details Date & Time: 12/04/08 11.28pm Location: Ridgewood, Kingswinford, near Summer Hill School Witness Details Name: William Horton Age: 18 Address: Kingswinford, West Midlands Sighting Details Date & Time: Can’t remember exact date, towards the end of February. Took place in the middle of the night, possibly after 12. Weather Conditions: Clear and dry, quite cold but no frost. Clear sky with only a few clouds, no clouds over the glade. Could see stars and the moon. What were you doing prior to sighting the object? I was relaxing by the fire wih my head in my hands and drinking. I’d had more drinks than the others. How many witnesses were there present at the time of the sighting? Four – Me, Jim, Dave and Chris. Which witness first sighted the object? Chris or Dave. They were both discussing it. How did you first get alerted to the presence of the object? I could hear Chris and Dave’s discussion about what the object could be. I stayed by the fire and didn’t look at that point, I was not really interested in what it was. What was your gut instinct when you first saw the object? I saw it and was amazed. I immediately thought it was a UFO. Can you give a description of the object, from when you first saw the object up until the end of the sighting? The object was quite close to the glade when I first looked at it. I saw a black shape, hexagonal, maybe triangular. The lights on it struck me the most. They shifted colour like liquid from blueish to reddish. As it passed over the glade I could see lights on the corners of the object. When it was over us suddenly all the lights went red and then it began to move off to the far horizon, gathering speed quite fast, much faster than a helicopter. We ran to the edge of the wood and watched it over the houses of Wolverhampton area. How big would you estimate the object was? Bigger than an aeroplane or house. It was hard to tell. How high would you estimate the object was in the sky? Did the object remain at this height for the duration of the sighting? It was above the height of the trees, about 90-100 foot. When it shot off fast to the far horizon it looked quite high. I think it may have gained height a bit. What was the objects movement patterns and estimated speed? Did its speed change at all during the sighting? As it came towards the glade it moved at a steady slow speed. It seemed to slow down as it came overhead, then all the lights turned red and it sped off in the same direction it was already heading in. Within seconds it was over at the far horizon. It then moved left and right at least 10 times. When it slowed down over the glade it felt like it was observing us. Did the object make any noises at any point during the sighting? Not at all. Did you hear any background noises during the sighting? No it was completely silent. Approximately how long did the sighting last for? The object was over the glade for maximum 1 minute. When we ran to the edge of the woods, we watched it on the far horizon for about 10 minutes. Did you consciously choose to stop watching the object or did it disappear from view? I chose to look back into the woods while the others were still observing it. What were the other witnesses doing when you saw the object? Dave was walking at a fast pace away from the glade, it looked like he was panicking. Christian followed him amazed and in disbelief. Jim was sitting on a log near the fire and I called him over. Dave and Chris seemed to have a fear of the object. I was gobsmacked by it. Did yourself or any other witness take any photographs or video of the object? Someone may have when it was out over Wolverhampton, can’t remember. Did you feel any different before the sighting began? No. How did you feel during the sighting? When I first saw it I was amazed and also felt privileged. When it was on the far horizon I suddenly felt completely aware of nature. I was looking at the UFO but then for some reason decided to turn round and look back at the woods. I was thinking “These trees have so much knowledge, so much awareness. The trees and nature are connected.” I realised how brilliant nature was and was transfixed. It was really strange and freaked me out, I don’t usually think stuff like this. I felt my life was changing. How did you feel after the sighting? I knew I’d seen something amazing. However the new awareness of nature was more dominating than the actual sighting. Did anything strange happen after the sighting was over? No. If you close your eyes can you still picture the object? Pretty clearly. What made you think it was something strange? The weird lighting, the movement of it, shape and speed. It was obvious at the time that it wasn’t normal, and felt alien to me. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was alien? I wouldn’t be that surprised as that’s what I think it must have been. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was military? Surprised as I think my feelings towards nature were definitely connected to the sighting in some way. I doubt military craft could make people have feelings. Also why would the military fly the craft over a densely populated urban area? Do you have any suspicions that the object may have a mundane explanation? None at all. Since the sighting, has it affected you in any way? Definitely more interested in UFOs since the sighting. Interview Details Date & Time: 13/04/08 12.10am Location: Ridgewood, Kingswinford, near Summer Hill School Witness Details Name: Christian Edward Horton. Age: 22 Address: Kingswinford, West Midlands Sighting Details Date & Time: Sunday 10th February, at 11.30pm. Weather Conditions: Clear and dry, quite cold. No frost or snow. No wind. There were no clouds in the sky. Could see the stars but no moon, it went down quite early that night. What were you doing prior to sighting the object? I was sitting around the fire talking and drinking a small amount. How many witnesses were there present at the time of the sighting? Four – Me, Dave, Jim and Will. Which witness first sighted the object? Dave. How did you first get alerted to the presence of the object? Dave pointed and mentioned the bright light coming towards us. What was your gut instinct when you first saw the object? At first I thought it was an aeroplane. Can you give a description of the object, from when you first saw the object up until the end of the sighting? It first looked like a bright white light with a smaller flashing blue light to one side of it. As it came closer and overhead the lights weren’t white anymore, I saw four red lights in a square pattern. The object was black against the sky so couldn’t clearly make out a shape. When it reached the far horizon it went back to looking like a light which was shifting colours between white and red. How big would you estimate the object was? About the size of a house, maybe a bit bigger. How high would you estimate the object was in the sky? Did the object remain at this height for the duration of the sighting? I’d say it was about 80-100 foot up, and remained at the same height. What was the objects movement patterns and estimated speed? Did its speed change at all during the sighting? As it came towards us it was moving in a straight line quite slowly. Over the glade it seemed to move side to side a bit like it was surveying us and moved fairly slowly. Then it accelerated quite a bit and went to the far horizon over Dudley in the same direction. Here it moved around a lot, left and right, stopping and starting, and faded into and out of view. Did the object make any noises at any point during the sighting? No it was totally silent. Did you hear any background noises during the sighting? Faint noise of cars in the distance. Approximately how long did the sighting last for? In total about 1 hour 15 minutes. From when I first saw it to when it moved to the far horizon was about 6-7 minutes. It remained on the horizon for over an hour. Did you consciously choose to stop watching the object or did it disappear from view? We were watching it for ages, I didn’t want to leave. In the end we decided to walk to Tom’s house then returned with him to the edge of the wood too look for it but it had vanished. I thought it was still going to be there. What were the other witnesses doing when you saw the object? Dave was panicking and running away from the glade into the brambles. Jim and Will were standing by the fire watching it. Did yourself or any other witness take any photographs or video of the object? James tried to photograph it on the far horizon with his digital camera but it was too far away. Did you feel any different before the sighting began? On the way to the woods I was thinking what if I saw a UFO tonight. It was weird, like a premonition. How did you feel during the sighting? I was both shocked and excited. I wanted it to come back close to us again and ran after it through the trees. How did you feel after the sighting? When we walked home I could still see it in the sky, and also when I looked out of my bedroom window. I was scared and didn’t sleep till about 6am. Did anything strange happen after the sighting was over? It was strange that it was still there later when I looked. If you close your eyes can you still picture the object? Yes. What made you think it was something strange? It looked explainable until it was overhead. When it was close to us the shape, movement and fact there was no sound was all really unusual. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was alien? I would be excited but also not too surprised. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was military? I would feel annoyed because this would prove they have secret stuff watching and spying on people without permission. Do you have any suspicions that the object may have a mundane explanation? About a week later I heard that someone had been flying a UFO shaped balloon. However the objects appearance and movement made that explanation impossible. Since the sighting, has it affected you in any way? I’ve had several vivid dreams where the craft comes to my friend’s house while I am round there. I am also more interested in Ufology. Interview Details Date & Time: 13/04/08 12.10am Location: Ridgewood, Kingswinford, near Summer Hill School. Witness Details Name: James Henry Lees Age: 18 Address: Kingswinford, West Midlands Sighting Details Date & Time: Late February, time between 11.30pm-12.00am. Weather Conditions: It was very clear night, could see the stars and moon, not many clouds. Also quite cold, but still. What were you doing prior to sighting the object? I was sitting by the fire chatting and drinking. How many witnesses were there present at the time of the sighting? Four of us – Chris, Dave, Will and myself. Which witness first sighted the object? Dave saw it first. How did you first get alerted to the presence of the object? Dave spotted it and told everyone to check it out. What was your gut instinct when you first saw the object? No way it was an aeroplane. I first saw it when it was pretty close to the woods. Can you give a description of the object, from when you first saw the object up until the end of the sighting? As it approached it looked like a black object, pretty much round in shape. As it went overhead it looked like a hexagon. There were four static white lights under it and possibly a big red light at the centre. How big would you estimate the object was? About 30 foot. It seemed to have a narrow height but not completely flat. It was very strange. How high would you estimate the object was in the sky? Did the object remain at this height for the duration of the sighting? It was a bit over the height of the trees, approximately 100 foot up. What was the objects movement patterns and estimated speed? Did its speed change at all during the sighting? It went in a straight line over the glade at a slow speed. I don’t think it changed speed at any point. In the distance when it reached the far horizon it moved side to side quite slowly. Did the object make any noises at any point during the sighting? Not at all, which was weird as it was so low to the ground. Did you hear any background noises during the sighting? No. Approximately how long did the sighting last for? About an hour. Did you consciously choose to stop watching the object or did it disappear from view? We lost sight of it on the horizon. Then we left the woods to get our friend Tom. We came back but couldn’t see it again. What were the other witnesses doing when you saw the object? Dave was pretty scared when he saw it and ran away a bit. Chris panicked and said we have to go. Will was watching the object in amazement. Did yourself or any other witness take any photographs or video of the object? When we went to the fence at the edge of the woods I tried to take a video of it on my digital camera but it was too far away by then and didn’t come out. Did you feel any different before the sighting began? Not really. How did you feel during the sighting? I felt amazed, a bit excited but also a little afraid of it. How did you feel after the sighting? I was very interested – I wanted to find out more. Did anything strange happen after the sighting was over? Not at all. If you close your eyes can you still picture the object? Yes. What made you think it was something strange? The movement, position of the lights and it’s unusual shape. It was definitely a foreign experience to me. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was alien? I would feel justified. How would you feel if it was confirmed it was military? I wouldn’t be that amazed – they must have loads of stuff not in the public domain. I would also feel a little disappointed. Do you have any suspicions that the object may have a mundane explanation? Not really. I experienced it first hand and know what I saw. Since the sighting, has it affected you in any way? I’m more interested in UFOs, although I did already have a general interest in the subject. Original E-Mail from Dave It is currently 3:14am, Monday Febuary 11th as I write this: Me and a group of friends went out to through the countryside by the Summerhill School, Kingswinford. This may seem unusual, but we often do this sort of thing; take beers, and have a fire. Although one of the most peculiar sightings happened during our fire, and we noticed a bright light in the distance. The light seemed a little too intense to be a normal civilian craft, and too bright and large to be a star. I watched this for a number of minutes without telling any of my friends, and then suddenly it was evidently a lot closer. Fortunately we were in a glade with quite a large view of the open sky, and this mysterious craft turned - almost as if to get our attention - over the glade, at about 40ft. We saw this craft completely from it's under carriage; it was an indescribable shape, and very vague - yet absolutely silent. All 4 of us witnessed this mysterious craft. What is also peculiar is that it has directly collided with my recent interest in UFOs, coincidentally after buying a number of books on the subject. This could be easy to dismiss, yet I am whole-heartedly confused and greatful that I have been able to witness something so utterly unusual. We're extremely lucky to have seen a craft so vividly and close-quarters, yet describing it automatically becomes vague. I have been up until now mainly because I am finding it difficult to sleep. Although I hope this account spreads some light in your cases in the West Midlands. There is without doubt something unusual going on. The craft was by Ridge Wood, outside Summerhill School, and seemed to travel towards Netherton way, and then disappeared for about half-an-hour; then spotted the opposite side going towards Enville or Kinver. Although the last spotting was while I was walking home, alone, which was just over Wordsley. Thanks Dave Further information from Dave Well, first of all; the elaborations: *The object was aproximately 40ft foot above the ground and estimately 15 meters or so from where I was standing; so this object pretty much flew straight over us at a very low altitude. Our view of the thing was fantastic, absolutely a vivid sighting; unfortunately, because of the bizarreness of the event, thinking back on it seems absolutely surreal. *Seeing this object so closely, and so vividly - although we saw it very, very clearly - it is actually difficult to remember the exact shape of the object; but the nearest visual memory I have is that of a hexagon. The object was slightly obscured by it's lights, as the craft wasn't awfully big and it's external body was mainly dominated by lights. The lights also seemed to have no distinctive, mechanical pattern; and when we saw the UFO in the distance, it often stopped perfectly still and seemed to be dominated by a Red light, and then would carry on moving and continue to a close pattern of 1-2-3 with Blue and White lights. The lights seem to change with it's movement. It almost looked if it was surveying the area. My friend's response was a lot more collected than my own, as I have been terrified of UFOs and abduction for most of my life: I am currently 21 years old, and am 22 on May 8th. I knew straight away that it was a UFO, and that is was heading straight for us, and would glide over our glade - I told them to run for it, and I scrambled crudely through bramble - It was probably my fault that everyone else panicked, frankly I wish I hadn't acted so irrationally! I was terrified that it was after me, specifically. Because I have recently had an active interest in UFOs and the more obscure side of interests - which is quite a contrast to my old view of the phenomena, which was pretty Humanly Existential - although, more recently I have found that the 'otherness' of UFOs and related phenomena as a soothing escapism, and a wonderful fuel for speculation. So "these crafts inform us that we are going through an awakening period where their disclosure is becoming closer to mankind" certainly seems applicable on an existential level. And actually seeing a UFO in a maner so absolutely affirming has been a very definitive experience for me. As for the amount of UFOs we saw, it is difficult to say. We did try to follow the one that flew over us, and ran to the edge of the wood which gives a brilliant view over Dudley, Merry Hill, Brierley Hill and Netherton, so we watched it from there where it seemingly went from left to right. At a maximum, I reckon there was about 3 or 4 of them in one night. But that very single experience where it flew right over us was the absolutely the definitive sighting of a single UFO. My sleep was disturbed mainly by the paranoia of being abducted, as I've pretty much always had this every night! So this obviously made it incredibly more difficult to sleep. I spent most of the night looking out my bedroom window, expecting to see it; and which of course, I did. (It did almost seem to be following me, and showing itself on purpose; it seemed more than just watching an object, but something which knew what it was doing). So, this, of course, made it extremely difficult to get to sleep: I managed to drop off at about 5am with the light on. I'm fine now, and don't feel that impending fear, and could probably have a normal nights sleep. I have no idea why, but its affect has worn off, and developed into a genuine curiosity. Although I don't own many UFO books at all, I have been researching some of the most strikingy investigators which seem perfectly pragmatically minded, such as Tony Dodd and Nick Redfern and Colin Wilson's 'Alien Dawn'. I am certainly intending to explore this subject much, much further; especially since having a direct experience. So book recommendations would be absolutely appreciated! I will be at your meeting on the 3/3/08, if you give me the details. Conveniently it is a day which I am not working. And I'd love to meet many other people and share my own experience, and expand my knowledge on the subject. I will ask the other witnesses to come along, aswell. I've also given them your email so they can send their own descriptions of the sighting. You're more than welcome to put my experience on your website. You can also contact me on my home number, if you fancy having a chat, on: XXXXX XXXXXX - Ask for Dave. I'm usually in, as I'm only working part-time at the moment, so feel free. Much Appreciated Dave E-Mail from Christian Hello, my friend Dave recently sent you a message about the UFO we saw in Kingswinford. I'm one of his friends who was with him that night in the woods. This is my account of what happened if you're interested. On Sunday 10th Feb me and three friends were walking up to some local woods on the edge of Kingswinford which we regularly do at night, taking beer and having a fire. It was just at the end of twilight and the crescent moon had turned a deep red colour. As we walked up the track to the front of the wood I saw what I thought was a plane fairly high up to the side of the wood. It was mainly bright white with a flashing side light, I pointed it out but didn't think much of it. Once we were inside the wood we set up a fire at a glade near the back end which has a good view of the clear night sky. At about half 11 or 12 we were thinking of leaving and my friend pointed out a bright light in the sky slowly moving towards us. This was in the same place and was the same colour as the supposed plane I saw at the front of the wood. We watched it for a minute or so getting closer, all the time I believed it to be a plane because it looked so much like one. Especially when they are travelling directly towards you. A bright white light with a coloured flash at the side. The next moment it flew right over us and the realisation that it was a UFO shook us. I realised that it was knowhere near as high up as I thought and not as big as a plane. I would guess at something like 30 or 40 foot hight. It was completely silent, not even a gush of wind. There were four lights, at first there were two white and two red but as is passed over head they changed to being all red. They didn't seemed to change distinctly, sort of merged colour. The actual shape of the craft was hard to make out because the sky was so black. The lights made it look square because they were in four corners but they weren't symmetrical, it was more like a lop sided square or diamond shape. The actual size was hard to tell as well but I say it would have been maybe the size of a house or a bit smaller. It glided gracefully over us and tilted slightly. We were all completely shocked and scared. The UFO flew over the wood and into the town. We ran to the edge of the wood and watched it fly over the Black Country for about an hour or so. It never left our sight, almost as if it made sure we could still see it. I remember thinking how come it doesn't carry on going until it's out of sight? It flashed in patterns and changed colour to complete red then black to white and blue and moved in very odd ways. We saw at least two more in different places over the towns, but never saw two at the same time. After so long we walked back home and saw it again, this time higher up in the sky but over the wood we had been in, travelling alongside us. None of these times were anything like when it flew directly over head though, it was so close and personal. I could see the craft all the time as I walked home and could even see it from my bedroom window which was about 3am when I got back home. It was more or less still and in perfect view but I drew the curtains and didn't look out again all night. I couldn't sleep until 6 in the morning. I hope this account is useful to you anyway. If you want to post it up on your site it's fine. I have been interested in the paranormal and supernatural all my life but recently been reading a lot more into UFOs and extraterrestrials. I believe most of the paranormal subjects are all connected though sometimes it's very hard to know what to believe and not. I'm aware of the whole thing surrounding 2012 and this new age of enlightenment. The White Brotherhood who are supposed to be working with extraterrestrials to help us move into it and the 144,000 light bearers. I believe some UFOs are from space and others interdimensional. The whole thing with crop circles as well which are formed to keep the planet in balance. Some of these ideas may be proved false in time but after this experience I know there is something going on. I've always believed in Aliens but what me and my friends saw was incredible and it was almost touching. That craft was with us all night in that wood and it was blatantly showing itself to us. One of my friends is very much into aircraft and he was baffled by how it moved and that it was deadly silent. Christian Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 30/05/2008 Hi there. Around the time of 10.50pm, my mum spotted some reddish-orange lights in the sky due East of Balsall Common; they were over Coventry. My dad grabbed his binoculars, and was watching them, giving a pleasant running commentary of where they were, what they looks looked like, and when they started disappearing. Some of them rose in the sky, and other sank. Gradually they started to disappear until they had all gone. I tried to photograph them, but my camera doesn't have a strong enough lens or zoom to have got a decent shot, the one light that I managed to get just looks like an orb in the middle of blackness. I could send you it if you want, though I am not sure it will be of any use to you. Any ideas on what they were!? We're really quite curious now. The XXXXXX Family. Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 23/08/2008 The Incident Late evening on 26th July 2008, a large glowing UFO was witnessed by multiple groups of individuals. Regarding this incident, the majority of alternative explanations for what the object could have been can be dismissed, making it both an important and impressive sighting. I contacted Simon, one of the witnesses, and arranged to meet up with him for an interview. Simon and his girlfriend Jane were on their way back home, walking down Dyott Road which runs along the edge of Moseley Golf Club between 10.45-11.15pm. It was a clear night with no wind and very little cloud cover. Ariel view of sighting location: 📷 As they came round the gentle curve of the road, Simon noticed a very bright object in the sky in the distance ahead of them. He described it as a very intensely glowing orange ball of light. He estimated the size of the object to be 3-4 times the size of a plane, but it was hard to make out because of it’s brightness. He pointed it out to Jane but at first she didn’t think much of it. The object was moving in a Southerly direction about the same speed as a plane. It appeared to be quite high in the sky at this point. It was a quiet night and the object was totally silent. Simon was puzzled as to what it could be. He observed it for about 30 seconds before looking away to chat to Jane. When he looked back to the sky the object appeared to be much smaller and was also stationary. He assumed it may have changed course and was flying directly away from them at this point, so it may not actually have stopped moving. Photograph of sighting location in direction object was seen in: 📷 They continued walking along past the local church and into Saint Agnes Road. Suddenly they noticed the object again in the gap between two houses on their right. This time it appeared to be much closer and lower down in the sky. Simon said that the object was totally still in the sky and appeared very large, still glowing a bright orange. He estimated it was 3-4 storeys up. This time due to it’s proximity and the fact it had reappeared much closer to them, Jane took more notice of it. The object remained stationary for around 40 seconds and then started to move very slowly away from them in a South-Easterly direction. As it moved away it seemed to increase in acceleration a bit, but remained on the same straight flight path. It was once again completely silent. This can be verified, as after a couple of minutes they could hear a plane in the distance behind them. Looking back they could clearly make out it’s lighting. After the object moved out of sight, they continued walking to their home further down the street. Looking out of the window they could still make out the object, now further away. They watched it until it disappeared into the distance. The church on Dyott Road: 📷 Photograph of second sighting location in the direction the object was seen again in: 📷 Overhead map showing position of witnesses and UFO flight paths: 📷 Simon and Jane are not the only witnesses of the incident. A local shopkeeper also saw something, however he was not interested in discussing his sighting with me. Also UFO Info website has had a report entered onto it from three other witnesses, describing a very similar object on the same night at approximately the same time. It is highly likely they witnessed the same event, however unless they provided no contact details so I have not been able to speak with them as yet. The UFO Info report can be found here: http://www.ufoinfo.com/sightings/uk/080726h.shtml Sighting Diagram Below is a sketch drawn by Simon, showing how the object looked when him and Jane viewed it for the second time from between two houses in Saint Agnes Road: 📷 Conclusions This is such an interesting case as most of the normal mundane explanations can be disproven or taken out of the picture. It is very unlikely the object was a plane due to it’s intense continuous glowing light, apparent size, movement patterns and lack of any sound. This also means that the object was not a meteorite or anything of that nature. It’s movement patterns appeared intelligently controlled. Simon has checked out videos of Chinese lanterns, often the cause of night time UFO sightings. However it is unlikely it was a lantern as first of all it appeared to be really large in size, and also lanterns tend to drift randomly, not hang stationary before moving in a constant direction. Could it have been a hot air balloon of some kind? It’s unlikely as the glowing light was constant not intermittent, and also there was no sound. Another important point to remember is how it changed positions in the sky. At first it seemed far away, and even appeared to be travelling away from the witnesses. But then several minutes later it reappeared much closer and lower down in the sky. There is always the possibility it was two separate objects, however Simon believed it to be the same, it had the same coloured glowing light and comparative size. If it was alien, maybe the object came closer to take a look at it’s observers, who knows? Simon seems open to the possibility it was an extraterrestrial craft, but is more inclined to believe it was some sort of military project. However if it was military, it seems odd that they would choose to fly it right over the streets of Birmingham. Simon seems completely sincere about what himself and Jane saw that night, and there are also the other witnesses to take into account, so I have no doubt that the incident took place. As with many UFO incidents, it remains a mystery to this day. Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 20/09/2008 Sighting Details It was 2.30pm in the afternoon of the 13th September 2008 when Sharon Demby witnessed something very unusual in the skies over Tipton. It was a bright, still day with no cloud in the sky and she was out at the back door of her house on Gordon Drive having a cigarette. She suddenly heard a scuffling sound and looked up to see a squirrel entering the loft of her neighbour’s house. But then something else caught her attention. In the sky was what looked like a long black/silver cigar shaped object. It appeared to be quite high up, she estimates at least a couple of hundred feet but it was difficult to judge. There were no clear markings on the object. It was completely still and angled at a sharp diagonal. At first she thought it must be a balloon of some kind, but the object was hovering completely still in the sky and she soon thought it must be something more unusual. She ran inside and grabbed her camera. When she went back out, the object was still there so she took a photograph. She watched it a bit longer, and although puzzled by it, headed back inside the house. Fifteen minutes later she headed back outside to see if the object was still there. It was in exactly the same position in the sky but its angle had changed to be vertical. She decided at this point to take a second photograph. Sharon wondered what it could be and stayed there watching it for about five minutes, during which time it did not move at all. After this she went back inside. When her partner came home she took him outside but the object had vanished. Sighting location map, showing position of witness, direction the object was seen in, and nearby pub (1) and cemetery (2): 📷 Photographic Analysis The object shortly after the witness first sighted it: 📷 1st photograph zoomed: 📷 1st photograph edge enhanced: 📷 The object after she returned 15 minutes later: 📷 Previous Sighting After Sharon’s sighting appeared in the local newspaper (The Chronicle) another witness contacted me to say that himself and others had both seen and video-taped the same object. The video shows the object turning slowly, and remaining stationary in a vertical position. It seems highly likely that it is the same object as that which was photographed by Sharon. He mentioned that he lives only several streets away from Sharon. Still of the object taken from the video footage (Difference in length is more than likely due to the angle it is being watched from): 📷 In this still, the object captures the sunlight at various points along it as it turns: 📷 Explanation Available from numerous shops and websites, it is now possible to purchase something known as a Solar Airship. This is an 8 metre long inflatable, usually black in colour. It heats up in the sun until the heated air inside it lifts it into the sky. It is held in place with a tether line similar to a kite. The object is made out of very thin material so despite its size, only a thin tether is required. Photograph of a solar airship available from Argos for under ten pounds: 📷 It is clear that what was more than likely photographed and videoed was one of these Solar Airships, probably a bought one. The fact that the sightings occurred during bright sunny weather seems to back up this theory. I presume that the reason a tether could not be seen at the time or on the photos and video footage is because it is very thin and against a bright sky. There are many photographs of kites in flight where the tether is not visible. From the movements of the object in the video footage it looks probable that there is a tether holding it in place at one end. There are two landmarks in the vicinity of the sighting location, both of which are in the direction the object was seen in. The first is a local pub, The Shrubbery, and beyond this is Tipton Cemetery. While visiting the witness who took the photographs, I contacted the pub to see if there had been any function around the date mentioned which could explain the object. They confirmed there had been no such event, so we can disregard this as a place which the Solar Airship was being flown from. The Shrubbery: 📷 Tipton Cemetery: 📷 Looking at all the available evidence, my conclusion is that the witnesses more than likely saw a Solar Airship that was being flown by someone else from their garden in Tipton. Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 21/09/2008 This report covers a multiple witness UFO sighting from 1998 at the village of Penkridge, which lies to the north of Birmingham. It is a fascinating case, involving a clearly extraordinary object, which was both seen and photographed by numerous people, and also made the local newspapers at the time. I recently discovered that my friend Helen Burton was one of these witnesses, so with no prior arrangement I decided to interview her about what she saw. The Sighting Back in the summer of 1998 Helen was only 14. As it happened so many years ago she could not give the exact date, but she still clearly remembers the incredible event that occurred. It was around 10.30pm and a dry, clear evening. She had just been out at a school disco, and was being driven back to her home in Penkridge by her stepdad. They were almost home, and Helen was staring out of the car window up at the night sky. As the car turned into Druids Way from Wolgarston Way she suddenly spotted a very unusual object in the sky. At first she thought it was a plane but then realised it couldn’t possibly be. At the time Helen was in the Air Training Corp so knew how to recognise many different types of aircraft, but this was like nothing she had ever seen before. She first asked her stepdad if he could see it but he seemed uninterested by the object. So she got him to stop the car and she stepped outside to get a better look at it. The object appeared to be hovering motionless several roads away to the north-west, possibly above the local canal. Arial view of canal with estimated location of UFO: 📷 It was ellipse in shape, almost spherical, and was glowing an orange-pink colour. However the light from it was not intense, and she could make out a wider rim jutting out around the centre of the object. This too was glowing but slightly darker in colour. From the distance she was at, she estimated that the object was about the size of a house and approximately 70-80 foot in the air. It appeared to be making no sound at all, at least none she could hear, there was only the noise of cars from the nearby M6 motorway. She stood there wondering what it could be, but also frightened that it was going to come closer to her. The object remained stationary for about 50 seconds, then suddenly without warning it instantly gained speed and shot off into the distance in a north-easterly direction. Within several seconds it had vanished completely from sight, so it must have been travelling incredibly fast. At no point did Helen hear it make a sound. She could barely believe what she had just witnessed but was immediately convinced that it must have been an extraterrestrial craft. Map showing position of witness, estimated location of UFO and its movement path: 📷 She got back into the car and told her stepdad what she had just seen, but unfortunately as he had remained inside the car he did not witness it himself. Helen remembers not sleeping well for several nights after the incident. Soon afterwards she saw an article in the newspaper about the UFO, some other witnesses had also seen and even photographed it. Up until her sighting Helen had only a passing interest in the subject, but ever since she has held a firm belief in the reality of UFOs. The object as Helen saw it in the sky: 📷 Conclusions There are numerous factors of this sighting that make it extremely impressive. First of all the unusual shape of the object and the fact that it was stationary in the sky completely over-rides many of the theories of what the object could have been. It certainly wasn’t an aircraft or meteorite as they do not remain still in the sky and obviously look nothing like what was seen. The fact that it suddenly picked up speed to hundreds of miles an hour from a stationary position means it can’t have been a helicopter or some form of balloon. Even a radio controlled model of some kind would not be able to fly that fast, and the apparent size of the object would also remove this theory from consideration. We are not left with much to go on, other than it being an intelligently controlled craft of an unknown nature. The fact that there were other witnesses apart from Helen means that it was definitely a physical thing and not some kind of optical illusion, and they even managed to get it on camera. I am still currently trying to track down the old newspaper article and photograph, which would of course be very interesting to read. This would also name some of the other witnesses of the incident. I am very confident that Helen is trustworthy, she has no reason to make anything up, and I asked her about her sighting completely out of the blue. There have been many UFO sightings reporting spherical/elliptical UFOs. One that particularly stands out for me is the infamous Livingstone UFO incident. This craft was spherical in shape, but like the Penkridge UFO had a rim jutting out half way up it. It does make me wonder if the two are related in any way. There have been other UFOs reported in the Penkridge area, including a possible UFO crash back in 1964. However none of the reports match the object seen. It is certainly an impressive sighting, and one which seems to be very hard to dismiss. Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 29/09/2008 On the evening of Saturday 20th September, in the area of Essington north of Birmingham, an event involving numerous anomalous aerial objects took place. This event was witnessed by couple Carl and Jessica (names changed for privacy reasons), and is both very unusual and intriguing. I interviewed both witnesses at their house about their sighting, and also visited the location of the incident. Sighting Details The two witnesses were on their way out for the evening. It was about 8.00pm and very clear and still, with barely a cloud in the sky. The stars and moon were already visible although the light had not completely died. The couple were driving along Blackhalve Lane when Jessica suddenly noticed some unusual objects in the sky to their left. There were five bright orange orbs in a line that appeared to be following each other. She asked Carl what he thought they might be, but both witnesses were stumped. They pulled into a lay by at the side of the road to get out and take a better look. Photograph of sighting location in the direction the orbs were seen in: 📷 From the lay by, a hedge blocked their view of the horizon, but they had a clear view of the sky and the orbs. They appeared quite large, Carl estimated they were about the size of small aircraft, although it was quite hard to judge exactly how far the objects were from them. Both witnesses were amazed at how clearly defined and bright the orbs were. They were also completely silent. The witnesses could hear muffled voices coming from a nearby house and also dogs barking as if agitated by something. The orbs were gaining altitude about the same speed as a plane coming in to land, and heading in a steep angle into the sky. Jessica tried to get some video footage of them on her mobile phone but sadly it was too dark and did not come out. As they watched, a 6th object appeared lower down and moved towards the others, although did not move in line with them. They kept watching in amazement as a 7th object also appeared. But these orbs were not to be the only unexplained things they would witness that evening. As the 7th orb moved towards the rest of the group, Jessica suddenly noticed another object off to the right in a more easterly direction. It was a huge black shape that was slowly descending and blocked out the stars. Jessica described it as a collapsed parachute/mushroom shape, where as Carl thought it looked more oval. They could make out no markings or lighting on it. It appeared to be further away from them than the orbs, and also extremely large in size. Both witnesses were confused as to what they were seeing. Carl jokingly said “it must be the mother ship”. The object descended until it disappeared into the horizon. They half expected to see some kind of explosion but there was nothing. Photograph of sighting location in the direction the black object was seen in: 📷 The witnesses looked back at the orbs which were still climbing into the sky at a steep angle. The objects continued like this until they were extremely high and then one by one seemed to suddenly blink out. Jessica said it looked almost as if they had zipped away at high speed, although neither witness actually saw any movement like this. Once the objects had vanished, the witnesses also noticed that the dogs they had heard had ceased barking. The entire sighting lasted for about 5-6 minutes and both Carl and Jessica were baffled by what they had witnessed. They got back into the car and continued on their journey, wondering what the orbs and the unusual black shape could have possibly been. Sighting location map showing direction of orbs and the black object: 📷 Witness Drawings Painting by Carl depicting both the orbs and the black object, drawn shortly after the incident. Note: Picture is representative - the black object was actually much further away to the right of the orbs: 📷 Orbs and black object as seen by Jessica: 📷 Sighting Analysis This incident appears to be made up of two distinct parts. There is no evidence that the orange orbs and the large black shape were related, other than the fact that they both occurred at the same time. This could just be down to coincidence, so we should analyze them independently. The most probable solution of the orange orbs is that they were some sort of lit up balloons / chinese lanterns. The five initial objects were in a row but this could have been because they were launched one at a time from the same location. It was a very still evening so they would not have drifted much, and could have stayed in a rough line as they ascended. The other two objects could have been caught in air currents and drifted away from the line prior to their appearance in the sky. Another explanation for the line of orbs is that they were tied together by a string. Maybe they were part of a decorative display that broke loose and drifted away. Once the balloons reached a certain altitude their flames would go out which would explain why the objects seemed to blink off one at a time. However to counteract this theory, both witnesses said that the objects looked far too sharply defined and bright to be lanterns, and also appeared to be too large for this possibility. They have also watched some videos of lanterns on the net, and insist that the objects they saw did not look the same. The speed of the objects must also be taken into account. Carl said they definitely looked like they were under intelligent control and not randomly drifting, and that they seemed to be moving quite fast. They moved from right down near the horizon to an extremely high altitude in the matter of a few minutes. It is highly unlikely the orbs were lights from aircraft due to the unusual movement pattern as well as their colour. Aircraft lights are bright white, red and blue, not glowing orange. There is also the fact that the orbs appeared to be completely silent. As it was a still night, any sound they made would have been heard by the witnesses. Is it possible the orbs were some sort of earth lights? Again this is improbable. Earth lights do not generally occur over cities, and also are less clearly defined. It is unlikely earth lights would form a pattern similar to what was seen. It is hard to speculate what the large black object could have been. If it was some sort of airship or balloon, you would expect to see occasional bursts of flame to keep it airborne. It was descending, so could it have been some kind of balloon coming in to land? Both its size and shape seem to defy most other explanations. Could it have been somehow related to the glowing orbs? Carl even speculated that it may have been one of the same objects without a light source. However it appeared to be further away not closer than the orbs, so it would seem to be far too big for this to be the case. It is unknown if there were other witnesses to this incident. Carl and Jessica said they could hear voices coming from a house further down the road while they were watching the objects, but so far nobody else has come forward to say they have seen anything. Due to the number of objects and the length of time they were in the sky for, it seems probable that other people would have seen them. Without an exact position of where the orbs or black object were located it is difficult to investigate further. We can only hope that more witnesses come forward to report this event. It is interesting to note that there has been another recent sighting of a clearly defined, large orange orb over the Moseley area. Could the two incidents be related in some way? I am certain that we have far from seen the last of glowing orb sightings over the Birmingham area. Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 13/10/2008 Just to inform you: Monday 13th October 2008 approx. 8.55pm Willenhall, West Midlands - I was leaving work late (XXXXXXXX School) - as I looked up, black triangular shaped object flying in approximately southerly direction. Two orange lights on rear corners. Red light flashing in a semicircle repeatedly, every 1-2secs (small white light at beginning of its cycle). I assumed it to be military aircraft of some sort - not particularly fast - aircraft cruising sort of speed. What struck me was the fact that it was silent. I am not particularly looking to enter into correspondence - for information only (Particularly as likely to be military rather than alien!!) Martin Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008

Birmingham UFO Group Case Report Author: Dave Hodrien Release Date: 02/11/2008 With some UFO reports it is the movement patterns of the objects seen that are the most impressive aspect. In these cases, many rational or mundane explanations can be easily ruled out, and they can provide fantastic evidence for the presence of something truly extraordinary. This applies to a recent local sighting that took place in Oldbury, south of Birmingham. The incident took place at 2.15pm on Friday 24th October 2008. The witness, Susan (name changed for privacy) was cooking lunch in her house on Clent Road. She looked out of the window to the east and something caught her attention in the sky. In the distance above the conifer trees at the end of her garden, she could make out what looked like two silver orb shaped objects. It was a clear sunny day with very little cloud, and the objects were reflecting the sun’s rays making them easy to spot. They appeared to be flying slowly towards her. It was hard to judge their size as she could not easily tell how far away the objects were. They were flying quite close to each other and were low in the sky, around the height of a plane coming in to land. The objects were in the direction of Birmingham airport so she at first thought they were planes. But then she thought this was unlikely due to how close they were flying to each other. She watched the objects for about a minute and a half. Suddenly without warning the objects shot away from each other at great speed, one off to the north and one to the south. Within a split second they had completely vanished! She continued to watch the sky for a while but the objects did not reappear. Susan continues to be amazed by what she saw, and currently has no rational explanation for it. Map of sighting location: 📷 In examining this UFO sighting, most conventional explanations can be disregarded due to the incredible movement patterns observed. Quite often orbs in the sky seen in daylight turn out to be balloons drifting in the wind. However if this were the case it is unlikely they would have shot away from each other, even if caught in a sudden gust of wind. The fact it was a clear still day makes this even less probable. Also, if we assume the objects were just balloons, the only way to explain their sudden disappearance would be that they both burst at exactly the same time, which again is very unlikely. So what else could the objects have been? There is the possibility that the objects were two birds caught in the sunlight. These can appear as shiny orbs until viewed up close. This could explain the movement pattern. When they changed course they may not have been caught in the sun anymore so would appear to have vanished. However this is just a suggestion, and not necessarily what was seen. Most other mundane explanations can be disregarded due to the objects appearance and movement patterns. It seems that Susan is yet another witness to something unusual in the skies over Birmingham. Copyright Dave Hodrien 2008