'Huge Flying Shadow' Seen by Bird Watcher in Western Suburb of Chicago

Lon Strickler of Phantoms and Monsters spoke over the phone on August 29th with a woman who claimed to have seen a "huge flying shadow" over a forest preserve near La Grange Park, a suburb west of Chicago.  The sighting took place at approximately 3:45 p.m.

I received a telephone call on Tuesday August 29, 2017 at 5:15 PM ET from a woman 'NL' who is a resident of LaGrange Park, a western suburb of Chicago. The witness lives near Possum Hollow Woods, an area where she is an avid bird / raptor watcher.

She states that at approximately 3:45 PM CT on Tuesday August 29th, she was along N. LaGrange Rd. watching the skies above Possum Hollow Woods and Salt Creek. As she looked skyward, she observed what she described as a 'huge flying shadow' glide across the sky at approximately 100-150 ft above the trees. Since she a very familiar with the raptors in the area, this sighting shocked her. She later referred to the photograph from the Melrose Park sighting, stating that the shape was very similar.

As she continued to watch, she realized that this was an unknown flying being...and that the wings were broad and rounded in form. Then suddenly, the winged being dipped and descended into a vertical dive at a fantastic speed that the witness could hardly comprehend. As it dove into the trees, hundreds of small birds scattered into skies. She remained at the location for several more minutes, but the being didn't rise out of the woods.

The witness found my contact information and immediately called me...only 30-40 minutes after her sighting. She was very calm, and stated that she had a 'whimsical' reaction to the sighting, noting that it almost seemed that the winged being wanted her to see it and that it was 'giving her a message' that it knew that she was there watching it. She said that she was set to take a photo, just before the being went into the amazing dive into the woods.

Her description was that the body was 6 1/2 to 7 ft in height and that the wing span was 10-12 wide. The wings were rounded like that of an insect with no sharp edges, but were attached along the body. She did not observe any details of a head. She was emphatic that whatever it was, that it was 'definitely a living being.' The color was very dark or black. There was no sound.

According to Strickler, who spoke to the woman twice after her initial call, this witness is "very knowledgeable about Chicago's history" and was able to add some potentially valuable insight into the continuing investigation.  The witness will reportedly "keep an eye out" in the area, and other local preserves, to see if any additional sightings manifest.

This sighting took place around five miles northwest of the sightings in McCook from the previous week, and about the same distance south of the sighting in Melrose Park on August 4th that resulted in the only potential photograph of the creature received so far in 2017.  La Grange Park is ~15 miles west of Lake Michigan, and is surrounded by forest preserves to the north, west, and east.

This sighting is similar to the other sightings mentioned in that it took place unusually early, well before dusk.

This is the latest in a string of flying humanoid sightings reported in the Chicago area.  Most of the sightings have taken place near the lakefront within a few miles of Lake Michigan, although there are some reports coming from the suburbs surrounding Chicago.  The sightings generally take place in the evening or at night, often in or near a park and around water, and witnesses consistently describe a large, bat or bird-like creature with humanoid features; although in one case the creature was reportedly "insect-like." 

To report a sighting, reach out to us directly at The Singular Fortean Society through our contact page.

You can view a timeline of the sightings so far here, and an interactive map here.