Click picture to see raw image (it's a large file at 3.8meg):

Quote:

We were on a weeks break in Banchory last week. I took this picture of Scoltty Hill on Saturday 17th May 2008, around about 12.30pm, the sky had no dark clouds in it what's so ever, only white clouds, there was no wind, it was a pleasant, calm and fairly warm day. Didn't notice this at the time of taking the picture, but when we put it into the computer, we noticed on the left hand side of the tower above the trees, an object in the sky, also if you move the picture to the very far right of the tower there is another one which looks as though it is further away in the distance, if you zoom in on them, you can see a yellowish tinge around about them, this is a real puzzle to us, can you shed any light on what it might be.

The following was submitted by a reader and recently joined forum member. Any ideas?

_________________
"Sometimes I just sit and think, and sometimes I just sit".

The picture is not great Ian. Can we get a close up of it? Maybe it is an insect or something.

Hmm not a great quality pic - the photo is too small to tell much detail, but if a large moving object was in the sky at the time it surely would have been noticed, even through a camera viewfinder. A bird or an upclose insect might explain the blurred shape and lack of spotting such a common thing.

I'll await a large version of the photo...

Probably a bird. See, for instance, http://www.assap.org/newsite/articles/Balloon%20UFOs.html#KES and http://www.assap.org/newsite/htmlfiles/UFO%20gallery.html

Since I have no access to sophisticated analytical equipment (and I wouldn't be able to use it anyway) I have examined the picture and confronted with other "solved" case.
First thought is a largish bird, more than a foot long and with a wingspan of two feet or more. A crow is an excellent candidate but a sparrowhawk should not be ruled out since the habitat is a perfect match and they are becoming more common and less shy. A goshawk is not an impossibility, though it's very rare. Both these birds of prey hunt in couple (two objects) and crows always go around in small groups, though they are considerably noisier and not as good at soaring.
An RC model is another possibility, though they are pretty noisy and thus easily identified.
Given the fact that the picture was taken using a digital camera I would rule out a film defect (a common source of UFO pictures in the '50).

The original picture is really quite big. I'll get it hosted somewhere and sort a link out soon.

The raw, original picture is now hosted - click the picture in the original post to view it. At 3.8meg it's rather a large download.

I'd have said a bird or maybe a mark on the camera/dust. Aren't there ospreys nesting up that way?

The Big Pictures Is Quite Convincing Yet it could be a Meteorite Yet i see no Flames.. The Thing Which Worry me the most is near the centre inbetween the trees is some
sort of symbol.. its either a track symbol or somesort of symbol..

Another tihng which worrys me.. if its a perfect day that day.. No Birds in the sky.. Unless it rained just after that picture (Some birds has sense to sense rain) .. That Must had Scared them away.. No Birds About = Somethings Up

The larger version doesn't make a vast difference to details of the object unfortunately. The exposure is quite short at 1/250s, so I don't think it's a nearby insect. I think the most likely explanation is a sideways view of a flying bird as in http://www.assap.org/newsite/articles/Balloon%20UFOs.html#KES

Thanks for handling the bigger picture for me Neil. I'm not sure what it is, though I would probably go with the bird explanation.

Yes But How Can It Be a Bird When Its On Its Own.. Unless it One of them Legend Bids The massive ones.. Birds Uselly Travel in Groups.. Can You see More Birds in the picture? As Said Birds Has Senses to Run from Rain.. Thats Only if they dont get scared off first..

Yes but a big woodland area like that.. and probably peacefull would be home to lots of birds.. so idont understand why they're no others in a nice place like that

Thankyou Ian for puting in the larger picture, As I took the picture I can confirm it is not a large bird, as it would also be very unusual, taking into consideration the tower's diameter is roughly 20-30ft, when you magnify into the picture the object to the left of the tower is wider than the tower itself, It is also nothing on the lens of the camera, as pictures were taken either side of this shot at the time, and there is nothing appearing on them. Not an Osprey either, to see Osprey's you need to go to Boat Of Garton. After seeing this in the picture I did take pictures of birds in the distance and when I put them on the PC you knew that they were birds. It is a real puzzle to what it could be, don't think will ever get the real truth of it, will be one of lives mystery's.