Tuesday 29 December 2020

Nessie Review of 2020

 


Looking back on 2020 can only leave one with a sense of good riddance to a bad year from just about every perspective. As the coronavirus swept across the world, vast swathes of the population hunkered down and battened down the hatches. Social distancing became the norm and many of the places we love to visit became off limits. Some levity was required as a debate ensued as to whether UFOs, Bigfoot or Nessie was the time honoured champion of social distancing as we only too well know.

You can make your own mind up on that, though in the year past, we did have one story from 1922 where Nessie and eyewitness seemed to break that two metre distance and even touched. That story may never be corroborrated but looking back on the Nessie highlights of the year, we first look at the claimed sightings from the last twelve months.

A look at Gary Campbell's Loch Ness sightings register has Gary reckoning on twelve reports this year. Five of these were from the webcam positioned high above Urquhart Castle, Those occupied the first half of the year when the loch was either quiet due to winter or due to the coronavirus lockdown which forbad any non-locals coming to the loch for anything but essential reasons. My opinion on webcam reports has been stated before. They may or may not show the monster, but they are too far away to make any difference and we await the day when a camera is installed somewhere near the shore to provide greater clarity (and I suspect fewer claims).

Next up was a smartphone recording by Ross MacAulay on the 8th July of which the best frame I could see is shown below.  This shows a white water disturbance in the centre of the loch described as twelve feet in extent and four foot wide. It had appeared near some kayakers nearer to the shore and the progressed to the centre where it was filmed.



Unfortunately, the witness was about a mile away from the object and so the recording is of little value in determining what it was. No doubt what he saw with the naked eye was better than what was recorded but herein lies the problem with surveillance. Having a high vista of multiple square miles of loch surface may improve the chances of seeing something but what you see is going to occupy a very small part of a smartphone's field of view. Conversely, getting closer to the shore brings the object into closer relief but less surface to survey.

Another image shown below was taken on the 29th August by Mr Van Scheurbeck from Point Clair. I was wondering if this object was a buoy to warn boaters of shallow waters. On enlarging what is a low resolution image, it did not appear that the object could be seen against the trees in the background on the opposite shore, which suggests it is not very tall as one sees in long necked sightings. 




The following month led to more pictures of a water disturbance taken from Bunloit Farmhouse which again were inconclusive. A video of an object in Dores bay by Trevor Ross in October was nothing more than a bobbing log though the large hump seen by Corey Sturrock in the same area sounded more genuine to me. 

Moving into November and another indistinct object was photographed by Karen Scott on the 24th which is shown below. On the original picture, you would not know where to look to find the object as it is so small, so the triangular object is not big, and as we know, size matters when it comes to Nessie. I covered a similar picture back in July when I was emailed a photo by Jeremy taken from the same vantage point of the Grant Tower at Urquhart Castle. If it did submerge and reappear further on then that does not suggest debris such as logs. Birds obviously submerge and resurface, but the witnesses claim it was not a bird. If you wish to see anything monstrous in this photo, you would be confining yourself to a small part of its anatomy.



Now even as I was typing this article, another report came in as reported by the Sun newspaper concerning yet another water disturbance filmed by local lady Louise Power some days before near Drumnadrochit. In the words of the Sun:

Louise, a school clerical assistant, said they saw “something strange” in the water less than half-a-mile away. She said: “There was a wake after it and it just kept moving slowly. Then it turned and just went under the water and disappeared. It was big and whitish grey. I did believe there was something unexplained in the loch — now I know there is!”


Again, being about half a mile away, we are not going to get much detail from a smartphone camera and mark this interesting but inconclusive. So not a great selection of images but that all changed on the 30th September when Ronald Mackenzie got this sonar image from his cruise boat at a point near the Horseshoe Scree opposite the village of Invermoriston. The object is at a depth of about 570 feet below and about 43 feet off the bottom of the loch. Monster Hunter Steve Feltham persuaded Ronald to go public and we are glad he did. I estimated the object was eleven feet thick in the vertical axis. The horizontal axis on the sonar display is time, but the manufacturers of the equipment estimated the length of the object was 15-20 feet. 




This excellent image was certainly covered in this blog, initially here and here where we suggest from Adrian Shine's own mouth that this is the kind of convincing image he was looking for in Operation Deepscan in 1987! We then dismissed theories about floating organic debris here. A few other sonar images turned up after this were publicised and the impression I certainly got was that the panoply of unexplained sonar hits that boats had picked up over the years are more likely to be large creatures than people are letting on.

So far to date, the sceptics have said very little about this image and would love it to just go away. They are quite happy with distant pictures of water disturbances, but not this. But what is the next step for sonar? Let us see what 2021 brings. 

As for me, the coronavirus restrictions meant I was limited in my trips to Loch Ness this year. But once the lockdown was eased in June, I headed off asap to the area. It was a good trip and as far as water disturbances are concerned, my game cameras caught their own version. What it was I am not making any assessment of.



What was more tantalizing was the large thirty foot depression I found at the estuary of the River Foyers. What had caused it? Canoes, wild campers or something else? The possibilities are considered in my trip report.


In terms of other research, the lockdowns must have had their effect as 2020 was the lowest count for blog postings in this its tenth year. I had published only 41 times (including this article). That compared with 104 in 2012 and the lowest ever of 33 in 2010, but 2010 posts began in July. However, there were one or two gems in that 41 including a video interview with Harry Finlay who had one of the most famous sightings of the monster with his mother, Greta Finlay, in 1952. That post is here and this is a sketch of the creature he saw at a distance of about twenty to thirty feet. Harry is not just a believer, he is a knower!


I also had the pleasure of talking to Arthur Kopit who had a land sighting back in 1961 which was related here. If you scroll down to the right of this page you will see the Blog Archive and you can click on the arrows to unpack various date ranges to see all the articles for this year and others.

So what will 2021 portend? Will one of those game cameras of mine snap something up close and personal? Will more exciting sonar hits aggravate the sceptics even more? Will some very lucky eyewitness get close enough to one of these shy creatures with a decent camera to snap something to rival or even exceed the photos of the past? 

I don't know, but I look forward to being back up at the loch no earlier than April this year ... coronaviruses allowing.


The author can be contacted at lochnesskelpie@gmail.com






102 comments:

  1. Aw the best for 2021 thank you for all your hard work and keeping us all informed on nessie maybe 2021 is nessie year as isolation over decides to pop up for a swatch much luv 😁🚬🎉

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  2. Post a camera near that 30 foot depression!!

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    1. That's the problem! There's got to be a workaround!!

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  3. Just curious if there are many creatures that are labeled as being nessie, or just a few of one kind? As still see this as maybe really big Eels, amphibians, maybe a sturgeon, or a large seal? Not one animal, but a combo of them?

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    1. Everything imaginable has been suggested as Nessie. the biggest indigenous creature apart from Nessie are ferox trout at a few feet long. Then we have visiting seals at a couple of feet longer. It is unlikely two large animals inhabit the loch, they would tear each other apart in territorial disputes!

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    2. Edit: unlikely two large species ...

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  4. I have recently listened to an interview with a woman called Bobbie Merrill an American who dives and swims with whales and dolphins. She explained that sonar has a detrimental effect on the ears
    of whales and can cause disorientation and beaching. She is talking about Navy sonar which may be more powerfull than the sonar used at Loch Ness but if any of these creatures in the Loch feel uncomfortable with the sonar beam they may take avoiding action whenever possible.

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    1. You solved the mystery, nessie is a landlocked Whale!

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    2. They gave recorded Champ noises, and stated sounds very much like that produced by those of dolphin Whale species!

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    3. Military sonar is a lot louder that commercial sonar, so not sure what sensitivity LNM has towards commercial.

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  5. Hopefully a year ahead with our freedoms back and no regrets leaving this awful 2020.
    For me the flattened grass ,30 feet long,is highly intriguing. Best shot of 2020.
    Im afraid sonar doesn't do it for me. After all haven't sonar hits been recorded for years? Has it helped solve the mystery? No , is the answer.
    Cant wait to get back to Scotland again.
    In the meantime kudos to GB for maintaining this blog and uncovering more and more evidence of an unclassified creature in Loch Ness....
    I'd like to wish Roland and all contributors a fantastic and trouble free 2021.

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    1. However, video and still images have also not solved the mystery any more than sonar to be fair. If you dump sonar, you may as well dump video/stills. One way forward is to bring the equipment to Nessie rather than vice versa. I refer you to my discussion on sonar torpedos.

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    2. Have to start thing aggressively and out of the box. Autonomous Sonar torpedo type with form/shape resolving sonar, biopsy darts, radio tracking tag dart and cameras, the works, to home in on a Nessie. My thinking is that a Nessie is mainly a deep dweller and occasionally forays to the surface. Would the water be clearer at depths, meaning, is the peat uniform throughout,or does it suspend mainly in the upper layers? Yes , I know, easier said than done. All this may be technically feasible, but again, this introduces the problem of getting close to the animal.

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  6. Good hunting in 2021, Roland. A healthy new year to you and yours.

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    1. Thanks, and a Happy New Year to one and all.

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  7. Yes, it's been a another year of blobby, splotchy, indistinct Nessies and the best that could be said of them all as showing maybe something concrete was blob sonar Nessie. Bigfoot continues to be elusive as ever, of course he's always been anti- social. The Ufonauts are no doubt suspending the abduction of humans for their hybridization program lest they contract covid-19, and ruin their nefarious plans for conquering the Earth.

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  8. Do you remember the NessieLand before the Ghost Town?

    Five quid to play

    in some paper mache

    back in the boom town...

    (further apologies to Mr. Danvers)



    Bliadhna Mhath Ùr from sunny California and as always, thank you for keeping the faith!

    Cheers!

    Storm the Klingon

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    1. Oh, for the love of... that was SUPPOSED to say "Mr. DAMMERS", by the way. Getting my Hogmanay on early, and who could blame me? Cheers again! :)

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  9. Happy new year to all. I think it will be a bit better, eventually. Keep up the good work Roland, I'm sure it will all be worthwhile. In fact it already is because you are enjoying the hunt. Here's to a more promising new year.

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  10. That's a strange year ended.There was a couple of good sightings and a few hazy fotos plus the sonar target that was INTRESTIN of course. !I hope we get more this year plus I hope I can get up to the loch a couple times for my usual holidays!Programme on nessie 9pm tonight on Quest if anybody interested! Cheers GB for the continuous effort u do to keep this great blog going. Happy new year to all u mystery Hunters...may the mystery continue!!... Cheers .. ROY

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  11. Thanks Roy I'm watching it right now. A Uni guy Charles Paxton is creating what I'd always wanted to see - a statistical database of all the eye witnesses (I'm sure there are a fair few out there). But he just ends with, excuse my paraphrasing: "They're sincere but mistaken". Case closed then I guess.

    And again, why do they keep showing a cgi plesiosaur? It's demonstrably not a dinosaur (though I truly wish it was). These programs often seem like they're just pushing peas around on a plate, regurgitating info. Though I must admit that there are some great eye witness reports in this one and it's generally done pretty well. I must say Adrian Shine's beard is looking particularly Gandalfian these days.

    This year was so depressing because it was clear that due to the lockdown and general gloom, the press was leaping on some really terrible "evidence" to fill column inches, inevitably diluting the seriousness with which some of us treat the subject.

    Anyway, as always this blog was a lot of fascinating fun. Cheers to you all and a happy new year.

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    1. Yup, well, dismissing all the thousands of eyewitnesses as mistaken is as much an act of faith as believing there is a monster.

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    2. That's standard practice on any Loch Ness Monster documentary, to trot out the tired old plesiosaur prop. It is part and parcel of the Loch Ness Monster story. You know it's not a plesiosaur, I know it's not. Even Adrian Shine knows it's not a plesiosaur, or...anything else. The uninitiated, the romantics and those who do not follow the latest in LNM news will always believe in the implausible dinosaur. You wouldn't expect the producers to start using a sturgeon, catfish, giant salamander, or even a giant eel as their model, now would you? Their job is much more in entertaining the audience and if they indulge in a little artistic liberty and some basic fact falls by the wayside, then they have done their job.

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    3. Still betting that soon we will have a really big eel found in Loch Ness, like a bus sized one, would that be exotic enough for those wanting Nessie to be real?

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    4. Still fixated on a really big eel eh? OK, I'll indulge you. A bus sized one would truly be a monster and astounding in itself. If that were the case, I would agree that it is "a" Loch Ness Monster!

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    5. We'll soon find a bus sized eel? What about the eels between 3 and 30 feet?

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    6. think that there have been reports of Eels in the region up to 15-20 correct?

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    7. I'd accept a HUGE (not just big) eel as an explanation if such was ever found. I personally don't believe the LNM is an eel, based on witness reports. But everyone has their own favorite theory, I guess. ;)

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    8. Talk about giant eels being the solution is nothing new and has been a reoccurring theme here recently. Accounts of large, not huge eels mind you, go back to the advent of the modern LNM era in the 1930s and possibly going as far back to the Victorian era, if you go by some of the stories posted here. No, I don't think we're dealing with giant eels as Nessies myself either. My favorite theory has, since my disillusionment with the extant dinosaur (Pesiosaur), has been a creature that is very “eel-like”, whatever form that may take. And yes, the long neck thingy, continues to be a sticking point if one is hoping or believes Nessies are giant eels and contrary to eyewitness testimony. I think it's safe to say Nessies are not giant eels. It would surprise the hell out of me if someday that turned out to be the case!

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    9. Alex Campbell was a proponent of large eels in Loch Ness and serpent like creatures have been reported. But the fact of the matter is that sightings such as that of Margaret Munro and the Spicers look nothing like an eel.

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    10. Well I'm sure he didn't think the LNM was an eel after he saw that head on a neck poking out of the water! LOL

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  12. It's on quest again tonight lol.. I quite enjoyed it..my only gripe is they didnt make much of the 25% unknown dna at the end of the programme.. Surely 25% unknown is something to get excited about? A new creature to science or a type of hybrid wud fall into this category... ah well!!! Sum beautiful shots of the Loch and some great honest interviews with Mr Feltham and some eyewitness's.. The lady that had the double sighing appeared on another programme on Loch Ness and took a lie test and passed it if my memory serves me right!!. . Cheers . ROY

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  13. These eels are sticking out of water while feeding giving a head with neck appearance, sort of. Maybe a really large stronger eel could keep it spine straight out of the water for a longer period of time?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBNH2GpMM_o

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    1. Could a 20-30 foot Eel do something like that, would it have adapted to do that? Still see that as a really good candidate for Nessie!

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    2. Slithering out of water and holding head/neck erect out of water are two different things Olrick. On an eel the head is a continuation of the body, not separate or destinct and jointed and held at right angles as has been reported on the LNM. Nice try. :)

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    3. What about them eels that got caught on video seemingly standing straight up in the silt at the bottom of the loch? I think we could all be suprised what eels can do.

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    4. In the video, the eel need the log for support out of water, is there a video anywhere of an eel raising its head out of the water without any means of support? Breaching the water for a couple of seconds doesn't count!

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    5. Gezza, those eels are being buoyed or supported by the water. I'd like to see one do that fully erect breaching the surface.

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    6. I think you would be suprised John

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  14. Olrik I agree..the national aquarium of eels in New Zealand clips on YouTube also show how they cud give off a head and neck image.. Also shows when they move in certain ways they give off a hump image too.I have no doubt a huge euench eel could give off nessie sightings and could actually be the monster... But do they actually grow this big? Does the euench eel actually exist??? Im not so sure but worth lookin into... Cheers

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  15. Well, if we're on the subject of candidates for the LNM, how about some overgrown Scottish relative of this animal? The eel-like European black olm:

    https://crni-moceril.si/en/the-black-olm

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    1. Not big, up to 40 centimetres. But who's to say, maybe some gigantic unknown cousin exists!

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    2. Hmm...salamanders. You'd have to talk to Steve Plambeck about that, he's the giant salamander guy.

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  16. No doubt large eels have been mistaken for Nessies. A story I remember from somewhere in which a group of kids saw smallish "LNMs" The claim at the time, that they were baby Nessies, probably were eels. Gordon Holmes video of two somethings just below the surface, no doubt eels.

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    1. Think that Holmes recorded Eel said to be like 12-15 feet long?

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    2. I doubt it was eels, they do not swim like that. I know Gordon thinks they are eels, but I classify it "Loch Ness Monsters" and leave it at that!

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    3. Well at least Gordon didn't aggrandize his sighting into something he wasn't sure of, to his credit, but thought they could be eels!

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    4. Would a really big Eel satisfy those who want Nessia to be a more exotic creature?

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    5. No! Not me. I want it to me a plesiosaur, some other type of living dinosaur, or a land locked sea serpent. A giant eel is too mundane, I don't care how big it is. : )

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    6. John I still desperately want it to be a plesiosaur even though I know it's (almost) completely impossible ;)

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    7. Yes Kyle, as the years go by that hope is less likely. I remember as a young boy of about thirteen, while perusing the books at my local library, I came across Tim Disdale's first book. At the time I was like any other boy of that age very interested in dinosaurs. Well, I was mesmerized by the possibility that there could be a living holdout from prehistoric times. The years rolled by and I put the LNM on the shelf in the back of my mind. Then came 1972 with the astounding news that the Rines team had photographed what appeared to be the fipper of the creature! I was beside myself with glee, for here was the final proof that yes, there is a living dinosaur in the fabled waters of Loch Ness. Since then that photo has been clouded in controversy and doubt. So, where are we today? Sadly no where near cracking this nut of a mystery. But, I still hold out hope that before my time is up in this Earthly realm, we will have some definite clue as to what exactly dwells in the depths of Loch Ness.

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  17. Nice one Ken.. Love reading bout new species! I think there are lots of things undiscovered and something like the black olms on a bigger scale cud pass for nessie yes.. Though these things are only 16 inch long we could have bigger things undiscovered! John alvarado Holmes is video has not proven to be eels so no its not a no doubter! Very good chance though.. Cheers.. ROY

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  18. Aren’t Eels normally found grazing near the bottom of the Loch and prefer the darkness?

    There’s many accounts that debunk the Eel theory, why would an Eel break the surface to eat a fish? Why would an Eel feed on vegetation around the Loch? Don’t Eels move more like snakes rather than heading straight? Eels can move through shallow waters but why would it come on land at a fair distance away from from the Loch?

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    1. Eels though check almost all of the boxes for what nessie might be, as elusive, can stay underwater, can move about on land, and no need for a large number, could be a few really large ones!

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    2. Admittedly eels did tick a lot of boxes on Roy Mackal's checklist, enough to come in second. However, the unchecked boxes were important - no head-neck configuration, no posterior limbs, too small, no frill/mane. Mackal had to devise a hypothetical giant thicked bodied eel to rate it highly enough.

      Of course, each theory has its own hits and misses, but a giant eel would require too many genres of sightings to be consigned to the bin.


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    3. Yes, eels can move on land, but not in the way land reports describe the LNM.

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    4. GB, I completely agree and that’s why I highlighted and questioned why would an Eel venture so far away from the Loch, it just doesn’t make any sense in my opinion. Correct me if I’m wrong but I’m sure that several land sightings describe the movement like a seal, especially when a seal moves on land (that’s just an example) Eels slither in and out the water with their movement being similar to that of a snake. I personally don’t believe that Nessie is a giant Eel but I’ll acknowledge that several sightings make no mention of seeing any limbs therefore I can’t blame them for thinking it’s an Eel, however it’s far more difficult to accept the Eel theory when so many eyewitnesses report and describe what they believe to be flippers or other limbs.

      I hope that makes sense, I’m terrible when it comes to explaining my point, so my apologies if it’s utter crap.

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  19. The Arthur Kopit account remains one of my favourite sightings, it’s very captivating to say the least. As far as I’m aware Eels are carnivores so why would the monster be feeding on vegetation around the Loch shore? Eels are bottom dwellers so why would the breach the water during the day? Eels can move through very shallow waters but I very much doubt that they would venture far.

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  20. Here's a video towards the end that shows a snake (granted not an eel) swimming with its "neck" and head out of the water. Hey, no one would love it better than me for the LNM to be an evolved plesiosaur or a pseudo-plesiosaur but I think its good to look at different possibilities...
    https://www.charlotteobserver.com/latest-news/article174006211.html

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    1. Absolutely. I think it’s actually vital to discuss all possible explanations.

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    2. Hmm...yeah, don't think giant snakes have been given any consideration as a possible candidate for the LNM. Anacondas, they grow pretty big. Nah, don't think so. Seems less likely than an eel.

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    3. John,check out "Warner giant snakes" these Irish guys went to the Amazon to search for "yacumama" a snake,boa or an amphibian that goes from 100 to 200-+ feet long..sleeps for years under riverbanks,dirt. Travels the rivers to get around.
      Mouth 2 meters wide,girth thickness 15 feet.
      Travels the seas also.
      There's conjecture that if it is in the ocean long enough,it loses weight and becomes huevelmans " yellow belly" or that photo " hook island serpent" all head and tail.( Like a giant tadpole) until it returns home and grows by ambush eating.

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  21. I'm set on a big long necked turtle, look a like plesiosaurs, can live in cold water, can dive really deep and live a long time. I also believe the giant eel. The Loch is big enough for both and explains all sightings. Both creatures are elusive and avoid traffic.

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    1. There was no turtle DNA found on the search last year so i doubt any turtles are in the loch.

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    2. This is true, but these eDNA collections are temporal remember. So there may not have been turtles in the areas they sampled, within the specific time frame (is it 2 weeks the dna would survive)?

      Not saying that Nessie's a turtle, just that the science has limits. Especially in the largest body of water in the UK.

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    3. That would be an interesting choice!

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    4. The only reptile you're likely to find at Loch Ness is an adder or one or two other small snakes.

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    5. I've thought about this as a potential candidate also; turtles live in cold water, eat anything, and can hide very effectively in mud, etc. There are various types of long-necked turtles found around the world, but these are small and I've been unable to find a photo/video of one swimming with its neck stretched out of the water that could provide an example for a possible large unknown species that inhabits lakes globally...

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  22. I thought they took samples from the whole loch, top, middle and bottom? And didnt it take a couple of weeks?

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  23. It wasn't the whole loch, im 99% sure it was various points around it (someone please correct me if I'm wrong though).

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  24. Here's what the eDNA projects website says:
    "The team travelled the length of the Loch, taking water samples at 3 different depths (as deep as 200 metres)."
    "...by the time testing was completed more than 250 samples were taken."

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    1. Believe also stated had 25 % Dna not able to trace !

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    2. Yes, about 25% and a lot of that was due to those DNA samples being too short to give an unambiguous match to a known species. Nevertheless, I would still liked to have seen what group of species they may have matched.

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  25. Has anybody ever seen a turtle in Loch Ness? Do turtles live in Scotland? I don't think that the Edna study was complete.

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  26. Yes thats correct, but if they picked up dna off things like oyster catchers im sure they would pick up the dna of turtles if they were in the loch.

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  27. That latest sonar screen grab has the outline of a big fat giant turtle to me.

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    1. Or a plesiosaur type critter.

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    2. well, there have been reports of Turtles in the past in the ocean up to 40 feet long! Thought big ones though were salt water?

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    3. Swimming in from the Ocean to visit time to time?

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    4. Think they would be seen.

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    5. Loch ness very large though!

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    6. I meant coming in from the ocean. Im sure they would be seen.Its a good treck.

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    7. Do you think that Nessie might be more then one creature?

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    8. I also don't think there's more than one species. And as far as an itinerant Nessie, I've often wondered why not one has ever been seen, trapped, or photographed in one of the many locks at both ends of Loch Ness. No, I think this is a creature that got land locked there mellenia ago.

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    9. I had a look at the top of the canal at Sea Lock House, it is a pretty tight entrance at about 20 feet for a large creature, the river ness is much wider (10 times wider?) and also encountered first by a sea faring creature. It would be interesting to know if seals have been spotted past the canal entrance.

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    10. I still think could be a extremely big eel, as well as visitors in from time to timer from the ocean, maybe even one of those greenland sharks?

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    11. Surprisingly as far as I know, there have not been sightings in recent memory of humps, head/neck, or even a documented photo, in any of the two major connecting rivers, Oich or Ness to the loch, which leads me to believe the LNM is a permanent resident.

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    12. An article I wrote in 2017 regarding River Ness sightings:

      https://lochnessmystery.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-itinerant-monster.html

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    13. Thanks! I missed that article. I stand corrected. If in fact these creatures are intermittently coming and going, that may explain how they are able to survive the cold climes of the loch, as the North Atlantic sea is a cold environment. Yes, it's hard to explain the lack of river sightings in recent times.

      Could this be one of our wayward Nessies?

      https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/sea-monster-remains-found-in-scotland/

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    14. Really big Turtle would check most boxes for Nessie!

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    15. I think it would tick every box myself.

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    16. Would be very interesting to have a giant turtle survive from say last ice age, as would have to be either a colony of them in the Loch, or my suspection would be back and forth from ocean to loch!

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