CARCASSONNE (11) 09.08.2021

On 9 August 2021 at about 01:00, a witness reclining on the terrace of his room at the Hôtel de la Cité in Carcassonne watched for shooting stars during the Earth's passage through the Perseid meteor stream. He then saw a strange phenomenon he called a “UFO sighting.” It lasted less than 10 seconds. He described “a line of equally spaced lights, arranged in a delta-wing shape, about 10 on each branch,” powerful and steady, with no flashes or blinking, as bright as the brightest stars then visible. He estimated their speed at 4 or 5 times that of the fastest satellites seen nightly, most of which traveled in the opposite direction. There was no sound at all. He said they crossed the sky in 4 or 5 seconds, moving steadily as if along a ruler, in the direction of the arrow, northwest to southeast, without changing speed. The size seemed “immense,” comparable to a thumb held at arm's length toward the sky. He thought the lights seemed to fly as a squadron following the leading point rather than as parts of a single structure. Suddenly the last 3 on the upper branch in his simulation made small, abrupt, very rapid sideways movements, then immediately resumed the formation's normal direction. He compared it to migrating birds in an organized, almost right-angled formation, but rejected that possibility unless they all had long-range searchlights strapped beneath their gizzards and were flying at supersonic speeds. Only 1 account was collected. The perceived strangeness came from the lights, which he thought could not originate from birds, and the speed. The observation is well documented, with a drawing and many precise details. The witness himself proposed migrating birds but could not understand the luminous appearance of the entire V formation. The speed appears compatible with birds. Regarding the lights, he was inside Carcassonne's fortified city. Powerful external floodlights illuminate the ramparts to display their outlines, visible for several kilometers around. These numerous ground lights, regularly spaced along the walls and directed skyward, strongly illuminate the entire fortress. Migrating birds flying overhead can therefore appear luminous. GEIPAN describes this as typical of birds in a V formation whose breasts reflect floodlights directed at the walls and towers. The source initially lists migratory birds over the area as great cormorants, common cranes and white storks in July/August. The last 3 lights briefly moving out and returning fits birds briefly leaving and rejoining formation; 1 bird moving aside with the 2 behind following is also consistent. The northwest-to-southeast direction, toward Narbonne and Gruissan, is compatible with white-stork migration toward the region's well-known birdwatching area, rich in migrating birds. The cited LPO article says the favorable post-breeding migration period runs from mid-July to mid-November, with substantial passages continuing to late November or even early December for some species escaping northern European cold spells. In the best years 20,000–25,000 raptors and 5,000–10,000 storks, mainly white storks, can be counted. An ornithologist's subsequent assessment narrows the candidates: cranes can be excluded because the date is too early, and storks and other large soaring birds because they fly only by day. The expert states that the only large birds flying at night are herons and related Ardeidae, which generally do not fly in V formations, but then identifies great cormorants as the best potential match for the date, hour and formation. They are entirely black with a more or less pronounced white patch below the head just behind the bill, which is also pale, and another patch at the base of the leg only in breeding plumage. Reflection from the white areas and/or bill is conceivable. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable observation of birds flying in a V formation.