...Any intrepid investigator of the inexplicable will inevitably amass a vast number of witness interviews. However, one cannot exactly go to school for this area of fringe research. In this section, I would like to discuss what every good investigator should consider with each witness interview—misidentifications. Whether correct or not, let us presume here two generalities for the 1903 Visitor sightings. The first assumption is that there was indeed "something" physically in the area, causing our witnesses to see and or experience…well, something. No delusions, no sleight of hand hoaxes, no gas-release fueled hallucinations - our witnesses were seeing and hearing something. Second is that the "something" is of scientifically established origins: no mythical thunderbirds, no pterodactyls left over from the Cretaceous Period. In other words, not anything fun—just plain old-established creatures.

If we can make these two assumptions, then one clear question remains: what were the residents of Van Meter seeing? 

How about some other animal? That seems like a logical enough line of reasoning to at least explore. Some of the most detailed reports, sighted in ideal conditions, include wings on the creature with some ability of flight. So then could it have been a simple misidentification of a bird? Let's look at the bird-like characteristics, as reported in the witnesses' own words. In the early morning hours of September 30th, Dr. Alcott has a Wednesday like no other.

He describes "great bat-like wings" and the next night Peter Dunn, the Van Meter Bank cashier, reports "great three-toed tracks" left behind after his terrifying encounter with the Visitor. Approximately 24 hours later, O.V. White and Sidney Gregg watched the Visitor from perhaps a 15-foot distance. Sidney Gregg remarks on "its huge, featherless wings" flapping as the Visitor moved away "with great leaps, sometimes using its wings to assist it," and with "wings extended" it then "sailed away" from view. During this same sighting, Sidney Gregg estimated the Visitor's height to be that of "standing at least eight feet high" as it stood erect after descending the telephone pole. Later on Saturday morning, October 3rd, J.L. Platt, Jr. watches two Visitors exit a mine shaft and sail away. After this sighting, a "crowd of men and guns" gathered at the mine entrance later that morning hopeful to dispatch the Visitors should they return. Both Visitors did return.  The crowd fired upon the Visitors, but their bullets garnered no response as they descended into the mine...