Watching that video the message semmed to be less “Angels are among us! See the evidence!” and more “These people are gullible idiots! You’ve gotta hear them!” Sadly, based on my personal experiences with many people with a similarly low level of critical thinking, I would not be surprised if these folks had never seen a hummingbird moth, or had ever bothered to take a close look at things like bugs in the garden or stars in the sky.

Somehow though, I imagined it to be too small not to be noticed whilst up in the ferris wheel, as it would have to be very close to satisfy the dynamics of the photo, ie, like a few inches away from the camera. I, too, wondered about the slight hint of antennas above the head, but considered that a long shot.

It is also obvious that more than a few people have not opened the links to view the original full photo from the ferris wheel to see the conditions under which it was taken.

Go on, take another look.

In the Xenophilia link, the “Shopped” version of what is supposedly, and “eventually” became a hummingbird very clearly, seems too manipulated. Was it done for clarity by a reverse process? Was taking a clear picture and fuzzing it up to illustrate the point, and showing that by un-fuzzing it, it could fit the queried photo? I’m not accusing anybody of fraud here, merely that they were illustrating a point.

Phil appears to have worked with the computer programs that enhances images, that sharpen edges, and add and/or reduce brightness, contrast and color etc., and the shots of the bird are to me, too good. I appreciate what has been done though.

My vote is still a moth, but I don’t know which species. I leave that to the locals. And whatever became of Jonathon Livingstone Seagull anyway? (Another Elvis type Sighting?).

Ivan.