All language subtitles for Expedition.X.S11E08.Thunderbird.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RAWR_track3_[eng]

Oh, did you hear that?

What the hell is that?

On this episode
of "Expedition X"...

Here we go!

Heather and Phil
take to the air...

Woo-hoo-hoo!

...investigating frightening
reports of a legendary

avian monster known
as the "Thunderbird."

There's hardly anything
on the face of this earth

that scares me...

but that did.

He had
his eye on you.

Yes.

The team will scale
great heights...

I got you.

...uncovering
remarkable evidence...

- This is huge.
- What?

...as they hunt
for the terror of the skies.

You see anything?

So, you guys know
I'm all about the creatures.

- We know, Phil.
- Yeah.

Try being stuck in a car
with him for eight hours.

"Let me tell you about Spain's
lesser-spotted fire lizard."

Heather, how many times
did I tell you on that drive?

It is a fire salamander,
not a lizard.

- Oh, boy.
- She never listens.

Oh, boy.

But I got something that
you definitely are gonna

want to listen to now,
because I came across some very

interesting, new audio evidence
that some people are linking

to an ancient
Native American myth.

So this is recorded
on this woman's porch cam,

and you're gonna hear
some normal bird songs.

But what you want to pay
attention to is this strange,

low-pitched sound combined
with this descending whistle

at the end of the clip.

You're also gonna hear
the homeowner react,

because she's never heard
anything like this before.

OK.

So that's a cardinal.
But that...

Hm.

That low sound,
yeah, yeah, yeah.

She's looking around, trying
to figure out what it is.

Dude, that's, like,
not kids messing around.

What is that?

That's, like, working
the dogs up.

Whoa.

- What is that?
- I gotta say, I've never heard

a bird call like this before.

Now, this particular recording
was captured in

the Allegheny Mountains
of Pennsylvania.

And in this region,
over the last few years,

there's been a spate
of sightings of a very large,

unidentified bird of prey that's
led many people in the region

to suspect, including this
woman, that it could

be a Thunderbird.

You mean the giant bird
from Native American folklore?

That's the one.

It supposedly has a 30-foot
wingspan, resembles a giant

eagle, and can
command the storms.

It is a potent mythical being.

I am very familiar
with this story.

I actually went looking for
the Thunderbird many years ago

in Alaska, because there had
been a whole raft of sightings

there as well.

And I've always associated
this creature with that region

in the Pacific Northwest
in general.

But this clip and these other
encounters you mentioned are

coming out of
a different region entirely.

And so it seems that
the Thunderbird may be

kicking up a storm
over the skies of Pennsylvania.

For thousands of years,
generations of Native Americans

have shared stories of
a massive, winged creature known

as the "Thunderbird."

The specifics vary, but some of

its supernatural aspects
are universal.

It's said to create thunder
with the flapping of its wings

and casts lightning
from its eyes.

Some indigenous people see
the powerful Thunderbird

as a protective spirit
that can divert a storm

or heal sickness.

Others say the creature is
an omen of war and danger.

But for some,
the Thunderbird is much more

than a myth.
It's a real-life monster.

In 1890, an article in
Arizona's "Tombstone Epitaph"

describes two ranchers shooting
and killing a mysterious bird

in the Sonoran Desert.

The beast is described as
having a wingspan of 160 feet.

Illinois, July 25th, 1977.

Ten-year-old Marlon Lowe is
playing with friends when

something casts a giant shadow
over his backyard.

Within seconds, a massive bird
snatches Marlon in its talons,

carrying the boy 35 feet
through the air.

As it attempts to fly off,
the boy's mother, Ruth,

wages a tug-of-war
with the beast

until it relents
and lets him go.

In 2021, a Pennsylvania woman
reports spotting a bird

of unimaginable size perched
atop the chimney

of an office building.

As she tries to photograph
the colossal creature,

it swoops down at her,
talons extended.

She barely makes it
into the building to escape.

When authorities attempt
to verify the woman's claims,

they discover several bricks

have been torn from the chimney.

Now, a recent surge in
sightings points to a hot-spot

of supposed Thunderbird activity
in the Allegheny Mountains

along Pennsylvania's
Chestnut Ridge.

Locals describe aggressive
birds with wingspans

up to 10 times the size
of a bald eagle.

Ranchers in the area
have reported

livestock disappearing
without a trace.

And most shocking of all,
last month, a trucker claims

his rig was almost lifted off
the ground by one of these

monster birds.

But what's really
going on here?

Has the legendary Thunderbird
truly taken flight

in Western Pennsylvania?

Just to be clear, I am not
saying there is a giant

monster bird out there firing
lightning bolts from its eyes.

- That's what I heard you say.
- Uh-huh.

But there definitely could be
a large avian predator that has

yet to be documented.

I mean, just a couple years
ago, there was

a Steller's sea eagle
found in Texas.

This is a massive bird,
seven to eight-foot wingspan

that is normally found
in Northeastern Asia,

6,000 miles away.
So, anything's possible.

I've always been fascinated
by this story, partially because

the Thunderbird mythology is
so rich, but also because

you do have these people
stepping forward

claiming to see a flying,
unidentified something.

So, what do you think?
Real deal or for the birds?

I get how it could sound
far-fetched that there's

a Thunderbird in Pennsylvania,
but the eyewitness reports are

real, that audio is real,
and people are

seeing something.

So we got to go in
with an open mind.

And we've investigated a lot
of land-based cryptids, so this

time investigating one
that's in the air,

it's gonna be fascinating.

And it's not going to be easy,

and I don't know how
we're gonna do it,

but I'm definitely in.

All right, sounds like
we're all agreed.

The mission is to get
to Pennsylvania.

Start by interviewing this
trucker who claims his rig was

attacked from the skies.
Is it a Thunderbird?

Is it misidentification?
Is it an unknown species?

See if you can get
a bird's-eye view of the truth.

- Ka-kaw!
- What was that?

It's Thunderbird
for "Hell, yeah."

Oh, sorry, I don't
speak Thunderbird.

The flight from New York
to Pittsburgh is

just over an hour.

The team then hits the road for
a two-hour drive along Route 30

to the area where our witness
had his shocking encounter.

Looks like
there's our guy.

All right.

Hey, Fred.

Veteran and trucker Fred Stull

has driven America's highways
for decades.

He thought he'd seen it all,
until he recently crossed paths

with something beyond belief.

So this is Highway 30.

It was around here that
you saw whatever you saw.

Yeah, but this is, like,
the first time I've ever talked

publicly about it.

Can you tell us
what happened to you?

Well, it was about
4 o'clock in the morning.

Just started work.

Going up Route 30
over the mountain.

I was coming up the hill.

My lights were shining
up in the air.

This enormous bird thing
come out of the southeast.

I literally thought
it was gonna take

the top of my truck off.

How big
was this thing?

I'd say the wingspan
was 60 to 80 feet.

- 60 to 80 feet?
- At least.

The width of the wing literally
covered my whole tractor.

I mean, you gotta understand
how for someone hearing that,

that sounds kind
of unbelievable.

I really don't care
what people think.

- Mm-hmm.
- I've seen what I've seen.

What'd you do after
you saw this thing?

I got out of there
as fast as I could.

I didn't care where it went.

I did not want to see it again.

- So this thing scared you?
- Yes, it did.

Believe me, I've seen a lot
of stuff, running up and down

these roads for 25 years
and being in the military.

And there's hardly anything
on the face of this earth

that scares me,
but that did.

So in that moment,
what did you think it was?

I had no idea.

First place I was able
to pull over, I called my wife.

She says, "You've seen what
they call the Thunderbird."

And I asked her,
I said, "What is it?"

You know,
I'd never heard of it.

I guess it's some kind
of mythical legend, but...

it's not mythical.
It's real.

Have you heard of anyone else
seeing something like it?

I've heard rumors where guys
have 1,200-pound cows

come up missing.
- Wow.

Just disappeared.

No tracks around,
and nothing drug it out.

So it's something huge
had to pick it up.

- Maybe a Thunderbird.
- That's what I would say.

Where do you think we should
focus our search if we want

to try to get eyes
on it ourselves?

I would start where Route 30
crosses Chestnut Ridge

and Laurel Ridge after it.

Between them two ridges,
it's nothing but forest,

mountains and that,
and nobody knows

what's up in the woods.

Fred, thank you
for sharing your story.

Thank you so much.

Be real careful and take
very good precautions.

- Yes, sir.
- You got it.

Fred's given us a lot
of ground to cover.

Highway 30 runs through
15 miles of wilderness between

Laurel Ridge, where Fred
had his experience,

and Chestnut Ridge,
where our video of that eerie

bird call was captured.

If we're gonna cover
the territory of a giant bird,

we had a suitably giant idea.
Why not fly like one?

Gliders don't use engines.

They ride the same thermal
currents that large birds

of prey like hawks
and eagles use.

Gliders are also almost
completely silent, making them

the perfect perch to spot birds,
monstrous or otherwise,

in action.

All right, Heather.

- See you up there.
- All right, have fun.

Heather and I will launch
separately, being towed

by a plane to 4,000 feet
before being released.

Closed.

Since we'll be constantly
on the lookout for giant nests

and anything else unusual that
could point to a Thunderbird,

we're each joined in
the cockpit by an experienced

glider pilot.

They'll stay focused
on keeping us flying,

while we scan
our surroundings.

If we spot anything out of
the ordinary, we'll log the GPS

coordinates for a follow-up.

Here we go!

Hell yeah!

We're in the air.

This is incredible.

Look at this view!

Hey, Phil, look to your left.

Oh, hey.
Good to see you.

What are you doing up here?

Oh, just hanging out.

OK.
Ready?

- .
- All right, Heather.

We're gonna be released.
Ready?

Copy.
I got eyes on you.

3, 2, 1.

Woo-hoo-hoo!

Oh, and we're away.

Wow!

Ah!

Oh, my God.

There we go.

There we go, just us
in the air, harnessing that

power of the thermals.

If you are a large bird,
it takes an enormous amount

of energy to fly.

You would be doing exactly
what we are doing right now.

See that road down there?

It's got to be Highway 30,

cut right through
Chestnut Ridge.

See that other set of ridges
off in the distance?

That's got to be Laurel.

Well, you want to take Laurel,
and I'll take Chestnut?

Let's do it.

Copy that.

See that ridge over
to the left with that road

cutting through?
- Yep.

Is there a way we could
do a little turn?

Sure.

Now, remember
what we're looking for.

Anything down below,
large stick structures

at the top of the trees,
that could indicate a nest.

Anything above us that is
the same size or bigger.

Copy that.
I got my eyes peeled.

The American bald eagle
has the largest bird nest

in the entire world,
building huge, typically

nine feet wide, 12 feet tall,
stick structures.

But if a Thunderbird is really
the largest thing in the skies,

as the stories say, that means
its nest would be even bigger.

So, even though we're a mile
high right now, we should be

able to see a nest
from the sky.

We can see for miles.

Our wingspan is
roughly 55 feet.

Our witness told us that
the Thunderbird that he saw had

a wingspan of 80 feet.

So, I'm keeping my eyes out for
anything as large as a glider.

Oh, I got something.

To the right!

Straight ahead.

I've got an interesting
stick structure I'm seeing

down below on top of a tree.

Heather, I think I see
our first potential nest.

Nice.

I'm gonna mark
a GPS point.

Copy that.

Quarter mile east
of where we are right now.

We got something.

That is promising.
We're in the right spot.

After another hour of
searching, the nest I spotted

seems to be
our most promising lead.

So, we turn back
and start our descent.

All right, Heather,
I'll head in first.

Copy that.
I got eyes on you.

Woo-wee!

Touchdown.

Coming in
for the landing.

All right, thank you.

- Nicely done, Glen.
- How about that?

- Amazing.
- That was incredible,

to be riding
those thermals.

- I know.
- I guess we know

where we're heading next.
- Yeah, we do.

The coordinates I marked
fall on the foothills

of Laurel Ridge, just six miles
north of where Fred had

his strange encounter.

OK.

With the exception of owls,
all birds of prey

hunt during the day.
- This way.

All right.

The largest, like eagles,
can hunt in an area

up to 15 square miles.

The best chance we have of
finding a large, avian predator

is when it's nesting at night.

Hey, it's getting dark.

How are we
looking on GPS?

Should be
straight ahead of us.

OK.

- Hey.
- Yeah?

We are 100 yards from that
possible structure you saw.

Oh, yeah, we're almost
right on top of it.

If there is something there,
I don't want to scare it away.

So before we get any closer,
there is a new tool

I want to use.
- OK.

So, this is a ZEISS
thermal scope.

Your average thermal camera can
only see maybe 50, 100 feet

in front of you.
This can see up to a mile.

- Cool.
- So near and far,

if there's something
flying around or up

in the trees, this thing
will get it.

Here's hoping.

Do you see anything?

You ready to move in?

Yeah.

Let's go nice and slow.

It's got to be
right in front of us.

Oh, got something.

What?

It is a tangle
of branches up there.

It's gotta be it.

You think that's what you saw
from the glider?

I think so.
It's glowing.

- It's glowing?
- It's glowing warm.

Which, if that's a nest,

something could be
incubating in there.

Should we get closer?

Yeah.

Quietly.

No.

Oh.

It's a big, dead tree.

Oh, no.
False lead?

Well, marking GPS
from 4,000 feet isn't exact,

so what I saw could still
be around here.

OK, but that's clearly not
holding something the size

of a Thunderbird.

Oh, my God.

There's something
up there.

Do you see anything?

- Ahh!
- What the--?

Something just
flew off there.

Let's go.

Where did it go?

Do you see anything?

I got nothing.
I think I lost it.

Whatever it was,
it was sizable.

- And in the treetops.
- Yes.

Let's look around and see
if we can find any evidence.

All right, OK.

- Spread out a little bit?
- Yeah.

OK, I'll take left.

Oh, what is this?

This is huge.

Oh, my God.

Heather, get over here.

- What?
- Look.

I think this is a bird pellet.

Look above.
See that branch?

This is exactly
what you would expect

with a large bird of prey.

They catch their food.

They sit on a horizontal branch
and puke out

the bones and the fur.

And look what we got in here.

You can see the bones
protruding through it.

- That is a sizable prey.
- I've seen an owl pellet.

- That looks way larger.
- Yes, it's huge!

I've never seen
a pellet that big.

If that's the biggest pellet
you've ever seen, what size

bird are we talking about?
- Exactly.

It must be massive.

I mean, there are bald eagles
here, potentially

a golden eagle, so maybe
something like that.

But the beauty of pellets is
that you can reconstruct

those bones and figure out
what the prey was.

Are you using "beauty" and
"puke" in the same sentence?

Hey, when it comes to the data
we can get from this thing,

absolutely.
- OK.

Whoa, it still feels wet.

If it's still wet, that means
it's fresh, right?

I'm gonna bag it up.

It's a great find.

Before we go, I'm thinking
if we put a camera trap on this

tree angled up, we may be able
to catch whatever comes back

to this branch.
- Good idea.

Here,
you just angle it up.

Yeah, it's perfect.

It looks good.

- OK, let's get moving.
- OK.

Heather and I continue
searching for evidence,

but it becomes clear that
whatever we were chasing has

already flown the nest.

The next morning, we check in
with Josh to update him

on our investigation so far.

Well, well, if it isn't
my avian associates.

- Hey, Gates.
- How's it going out there?

- Or should I say up there?
- It's going great.

We found the biggest bird
regurgitation pellets I have

ever seen.
- Phil, God bless you.

You are the only man I know
that could get this excited

about bird vomit.

- He really is excited.
- I am.

So I reached out
to a local bird expert.

Her name is Katie Fallon,
and she studied how eagles,

hawks, and falcons hunt prey.

I want to use that know-how to
inform our next investigation.

OK, well, while you're
checking out your puke nugget,

I got another witness for you,
an Army veteran named

Aaron Schachte, who claims
to have had multiple close calls

with this terrifying creature
and thinks he knows where

to find it.
- Amazing.

I would love to meet him.

All right, guys,
well, get to it.

The early bird
catches the worm.

- Bye, Gates.
- See ya.

I'm heading to Chestnut Ridge,
where the eerie recording

of the supposed Thunderbird was
made, to meet with a witness

who may have a lead
on its whereabouts.

Aaron Schachte has called
Pennsylvania home for decades,

but lately, he suspects he's
been sharing his backyard

with a monster from the skies.

So we're here looking
for the Thunderbird,

and I understand you've seen it
a couple of times.

- Yes, I have.
- Walk me through that.

The first time I seen it,
it was later afternoon.

I just got done cutting
this here field.

And I'm looking out there
at the end of that field,

and I see a tree stump.

And I'm wondering, "How is there
a tree stump in the middle

of my field?
I just cut this."

So I start walking up on it,
and I got maybe 40-some feet

away from it.

And I'm looking at it,
and I'm thinking, "It doesn't

look like a tree stump anymore.
That's a bird."

It was like this,
like a vampire.

Then it pops its head up,
and it's looking at me, mad.

Like, "Why are you here?

You're invading my territory."

And it spreads its wings.

It leans into the breeze like
a kite, and it goes one flap.

It's up in the air.

It starts coming right at me.
I'm like, "Jeez."

So I duck to get
out of its way.

Do you feel like he was
charging you?

Yes.
He looked very mad

when he was
looking at me.

- This was his territory?
- This is his yard.

So there was no way he was
another large bird?

No-- we know
all the birds out here.

We know the turkey buzzards,
the eagles, hawks.

This was nothing like that,
not even in the same category.

You're talking miniature,
and I'm talking monster.

It went up
into the air.

And right over on this side,
there was turkey buzzards.

They were doing circles,
and it went up there with them,

and it made them look like
this big compared to my hand.

That's how big he was.

You think you were looking
at a Thunderbird?

I never heard
of a Thunderbird before.

I don't know what it was.

I head to neighboring
West Virginia to visit

the Avian Conservation Center
of Appalachia.

- Hey, Katie.
- Hey, Phil.

I'm just about
to feed the birds.

Would you like to help?

I would love to.

Katie Fallon is a birds
of prey specialist with

an encyclopedic knowledge
of the region's biggest

avian predators.

Here's some fish.

Look at those talons.

I'm hoping she can shed light
on what we've been chasing.

Woo-hoo-hoo!

Wow, you are beautiful.

So we're looking into reports
of something absolutely massive

that has been seen
flying around here.

Some people are
saying it's Thunderbird,

and that's why I came to you.

Tell me about the big birds

that could be flying
around here.

The giant birds flying around
here would be bald eagles,

golden eagles, great horned
owls, turkey vultures.

Biggest of those birds has
about a six-foot wingspan.

It's interesting because
what people are describing,

they say
60 to 80-foot wingspan.

It's very difficult to judge
the size of a bird in flight.

Birds are often described
as being a lot bigger

than they actually are.

I'd like to play for you
an audio recording

that we were sent.
- OK.

Because I'm still trying
to figure out what it is that

this person was hearing.

I'm not sure what that is.

That's kind of how
I felt about it, too.

I could not identify
that noise.

There's one more thing
I want to show you.

Something that we found
on the ground that looked

suspiciously like a pellet.

It does look like a pellet.

- There's bones.
- Some of the fur.

- Fur.
- Look at the size.

There's my hand for comparison.

I mean, it's a large pellet.

It could be a great horned owl.

Really?
They get that big?

Well, possibly, I mean,
if a great horned owl

ate something
that's very big,

potentially large prey.

But there's always the chance
that something from

somewhere else
could have shown up.

I mean, a Steller's sea eagle
was here in the U.S.

No one could really explain
how it got here,

but it's a massive bird.

If you were one
of these birds,

where would you be hiding?

I would be probably on a rocky
outcrop somewhere where there's

a lot of wind, because a bird
of any large size is going

to need a lot of wind
to help them fly.

So cliffs and wind?

Yes, but you need to be
careful if you're going to be

around a predatory bird's nest.

A lot of raptors are territorial
around their nest sites,

and they will fly at people
and even graze

their heads with their talons
and cause an abrasion.

These are birds
not to be messed with.

You got it.

But that's not the only time
you saw this thing.

No, the second time I seen it,

I came out, and I was down
on my barn.

I'm up 18 feet in the air,
doing some hammering,

and all of a sudden,
I'm in the shade.

So, I look up.

Another big bird is
doing laps around me.

I was the center of the circle.

He had his eye on you.

Yes.
"I'm prey."

That's what I was thinking.

You think it was the same bird
that you saw previously?

It looked like it.
It was the same size.

And it...

...glid off through the cow
pasture and went down towards

Chestnut Ridge,
I'm thinking,

"Good, thank goodness."

God bless America.

As you can see,
the Thunderbird should be

showing up now.
There was just a big hunk...

- Right?
- ...of lightning behind you.

I rendezvous with
Phil, and we follow Aaron's

directions into the nearby
Chestnut Ridge wilderness

to begin our investigation.

Using a topographical map,
Phil has pinpointed a remote

cliff face that should be

an ideal vantage point
above the tree line.

- See that up there?
- Yeah.

I think we found our cliffs.

Now we just got to go up.
I think up through here.

Look at this place.

Wow.
It goes straight up.

Hey, if this thing exists,
whatever it is, up on one

of those ledges could be
our best chance to find it.

- Let's get harnessed up?
- Yeah.

OK.

Ready to do this?
You got me?

Let's hope so.

That's the confidence I need
when I'm climbing

a 100-foot cliff.
- You got this.

OK.
I'll bring a rope up,

drop down the safety line,
and see what

we find up there.
- Go for it.

Climb on.

OK.

All right.

So every single ledge I get
to is a potential nesting spot.

So, I do inspect for anything

that may be living here

or may have lived here
in the past.

This one looked
pretty empty.

So, gotta keep going up.

- OK, climbing.
- Climb on.

- Heather.
- Yeah?

I think...

- I see a feather up here.
- No way!

Yes, it's over on this ledge
to my right.

How big?

I mean,
it's no songbird.

Something big might be
nesting up here, Heather.

OK.

I'm gonna try to swing
over and get to it.

- I got to get eyes on it.
- Copy that.

- All right, you got me?
- Got you.

One...

two,

three.

- Oh [bleep], oh.
- Phil!

Oh [bleep], oh!
Whoa!

Oh, my God.

- Oh.
- Are you OK?

I'm OK.
Thanks for catching me there.

I got you.

- You're heavy, but I got you.
- OK.

I don't think I can get to it.

But I should film with
the GoPro, pick up as many

details on it as possible.

We can look at the video
and try to identify what

species was up here.
- Copy that.

OK.
I got something.

- Hopefully, it's enough.
- OK.

All right.
Time to finish this climb.

Oh...

There was a moment there

where I didn't think
I would make it.

Let's get the bag up,
then let's get you up.

- Deal?
- Deal.

- Bag's ready.
- OK.

All right, Heather,
you got to come up quick.

- We're losing light.
- Climbing.

- How we doing, Heather?
- Great.

All right, Heather.
Almost there.

- You got it?
- Yeah.

OK.

Keep going.

All right.
Nicely done.

Wow.
Look at that view.

- It's incredible.
- Absolutely.

This is our spot.

After that climb,
it better be.

Let's get set up.

If there are any so-called
Thunderbirds in the area,

we're hoping to lure them to us
before they nest for the night

by using our game caller.

I've loaded it with the sounds
of two birds

that could help us tonight.
One is wild turkey

because it could be
prey, and the other is

great horned owl because
that could be perceived

as competition.

So, got the calls loaded up
on the FOXPRO.

I've got a highly sensitive,
omnidirectional microphone,

which is attached to my phone,

and a bird-identifying software.

This will identify all
the known birds around here,

from a whip-poor-will
to a warbler.

So if I hear something that it
doesn't know...

Then, yeah, we'll have
that documented, too.

Awesome.

I'm setting it
to record now.

We'll see what it picks up.

First up, turkey dinner.

All right,
night-vision binoculars

on and recording.

Got the thermal scope going.

- Got anything, Heather?
- Nada.

Next up,
the great horned owl.

Jesus, oh my God.

- That was the owl too?
- Yeah.

They make some crazy noises.

Anything flying in
over the treetops?

I don't see anything yet.

Yeah, me neither.

Oh, did you hear that?

Did you hear that?

I heard that.

That was a big branch
over there.

Maybe something landed.

- Can you see it?
- I don't see anything.

Me neither.

But that sounded right along
the edge of the rocks here.

Yes.

What the hell is that?

Capturing an actual photograph
of the Thunderbird would

make history.

And, amazingly, one such photo
is said to exist.

The first mention of a picture
of the bird comes in a 1963

magazine article by Jack Pearl.

He describes a photo from
an 1890 edition of Arizona's

"Tombstone Epitaph" newspaper,
featuring six cowboys standing

below the outstretched wings

of a massive bird
the size of a barn,

nailed to the wall.

But there is also
an equally massive problem.

When Thunderbird sleuths
searched the "Epitaph's"

archives, they found the story,

but there was
no associated image.

So did the journalist
make the photo up?

Well, believers say "No,"
and they're still scouring

Old West archives for that
picture-perfect proof.

But for now, at least,
finding the photograph remains

as elusive as finding
the Thunderbird itself.

- What is that?
- I don't know.

Is it recording?

It's recorded,
but it's not identified.

- Didn't identify it?
- No.

OK.
That sounded big.

Yeah.

Oh, over there,
to the right.

What do you see?

Something just came in
behind the tree over there.

I couldn't tell if it was
flying, but that was right where

we heard that noise before.

I gotta get over there,
go check it out.

I'll stay up here
and watch your back.

OK.

Keep your eyes to the sky.

It's really thick in here.

Yeah, just follow the cliff.

Judging by what I saw
on the thermal,

whatever we've been hearing
should be right around here.

That was really unusual.

Not seeing anything.

But whatever it was that
made that noise was close.

OK, we're getting close.

Let's see what's
around this corner.

Oh, look at that.

Right here, look.

Oh, my God.

Wow!

Heather, I got a nest.

Follow the cliffside.
And also, grab my phone.

We gotta take
some photos of this.

Copy that.
I'm on my way.

Absolutely amazing.

There he is.

Phil.

Yeah.

Check this out.

Look.

What!

Yeah.
I think...

this used to be an active
nest, and it is...

- Huge.
- Yes!

I don't see any feathers,
do you?

No.

And I'm also not
seeing bird droppings.

That really tells me this
hasn't been active for a while.

But whatever lived here
had to have been big.

What could
have lived here?

I don't know.

I've never seen
anything like this.

You have my phone?

- Yeah.
- OK.

Phil and Heather thoroughly
documented and analyzed

the gigantic nest, careful not
to disturb it in case it was

still in use, whether by a bird
that's known or perhaps a bird

that's monstrous.

The nest measured two feet tall
and a little over nine feet

wide, although one side was
partially destroyed, so it

could have originally been
even larger.

It was also positioned
at the very edge of the ridge,

giving a vantage for attack.

If you're a big bird here
and you need to take off,

this is your launching point,
riding that updraft

along the cliff.

But was this really
the home of a Thunderbird?

The dark gray feather

Phil found on his climb up
the cliff face matches that

of the wing of a bald eagle.

The nest's size also appears
to match one that could belong

to a mating pair
of bald eagles.

But the sound that Heather
and Phil heard on the cliff top

was most certainly
from something else.

When Phil's identification app
failed to recognize it,

he sent the clip to Katie at
the Avian Conservation Center.

She identified this
as the call of a barred owl.

Specifically, one that was
feeling threatened.

Was the owl alarmed
by the calls Phil was playing?

Or by something bigger?

Look.

Because the team did find
a piece of evidence that

indicated a much larger
predator is stalking

these skies--
the huge regurgitation pellet.

Phil analyzed the pellet
back at HQ and made

an astonishing discovery.

It contained the digested bones
of an adult cat.

So, is the Thunderbird
flying high in the skies

of Pennsylvania?

Well, if the feather and nest
that the team found do belong

to a bald eagle, those birds
have a wingspan of

up to 7 and a half feet,

a huge size that could
perhaps be misidentified

as monstrous.

As for the pellet,
the local great horned owl does

attack cats.

It's not known
to eat them whole,

but it could certainly
consume one.

Putting these facts together,
it seems unlikely that

the Thunderbird is casting
a shadow over

the Allegheny Mountains.

Although, try telling that
to our terrified eyewitnesses.

You're talking miniature,
and I'm talking monster.

But our official
recommendation, to borrow

a phrase, "don't count your
Thunderbirds before they hatch."