Webb Lake, WI: a small and rural (unincorporated) community that has within its 36sq mi Northwoods border, 294 residents, miles of well groomed bike paths, and apparently, a giant bird.

In June of 2005, a Minnesota man by the name of John Bolduan was vacationing at a camping resort near Webb Lake and decided to spend the day taking in nature by riding along one of the many bikes paths within the surrounding area. While riding by a grassy field, John took notice of a silver feathered bird in the distance that looked rather odd. Curious, he stopped and stared at the strange avian standing before him nearly 50 yards away. It was at this point John began to realize that at nearly 150ft away, a normal bird should not appear this big, in fact, he should barely be able to see more than the head and neck. As it turns out, he wasn’t looking at a normal bird.

John estimated that the giant bird stood nearly 7ft tall, a full foot taller than himself. He settled on this height of the creature based on how high the surrounding grass stood compared to his own 6’-2" frame. The stunned man stated that he could see the bird’s entire upper body as well as its bent neck above the tall grass. This meant that in addition to the (assumed) long legs within the grass, and if it’s neck was straight, the bird may realistically stand a stunning 8ft tall. John, in awe of the feathered giant, watched as it made its way through the grass field.

Eager to get a closer look, John quietly made his way into the field and towards the bird. But as he slowly approached, the bird took notice. With only 75ft remaining between them, the bird took flight and made its escape. But in doing so, John got to truly see the enormous size of the sky giant. He estimated that the wing span had to have been nearly 18ft long, which is 6ft bigger than the largest wingspan on record of any living bird. He also recounted that the wings themselves looked as if they were each 2ft wide and moved in a rolling/rippling motion with each flap.

As the bird climbed higher and higher, John stared in amazement, watching as it flew off into the distance and eventually out of view. Convinced the giant bird was gone for good, John climbed back on his bike and made his way back his cabin to continue on with his vacation.

Now, a quick bit of comparison: John claimed the unknown bird stood nearly 7ft (almost 8ft) tall and had a wingspan of nearly 18ft. Out of all living birds in North America, the tallest is the Whooping Crane which can stand nearly 5ft and has a wingspan of 7.5ft. The largest wingspan of any living bird, as mentioned above, is the Wandering Albatross which stretches nearly 12ft. The largest flying bird in North America is the California Condor which has a wingspan of 10ft, stands nearly 4ft, and can weigh almost 30lbs. So, into relation to all these large known birds, John truly did witness an unknown giant.

-The Pine Barrens Institute

*Image Credit: Google

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