A mysterious, unidentified flying object over Semiahmoo Bay has caught the attention, and imagination, of some White Rock residents.

Matt Kilback first reported seeing the unusual object to a White Rock Facebook group last week.

Kilback, who was asking if anyone else saw the 含羞草研究社渁nomalies含羞草研究社� that took place Dec. 15 afternoon, reported seeing what he initially thought was a waterspout forming.

In an interview with Peace Arch News, Kilback said the morphing object first looked like a plume of smoke or mist.

含羞草研究社淪uper saturated, dark, low-hanging, free-moving cloud that looked like it was trying to touch down on the water to form a waterspout. Up above it, there were literally circle clouds,含羞草研究社� Kilback said.

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含羞草研究社淎s soon as it touched the water, it would start pulling water up and then it would collapse. And then it would disappear for a second, almost as if it would go into the water, and it would start reforming again in another spot.含羞草研究社�

Kilback said the object was about 2-5 kilometres out in the bay, but says he got a pretty decent look at it coming out of the water.

含羞草研究社淚t was forming like a sort of funnel shape sort of thing. And then it completely came out of the water, and it came probably a few hundred feet up, and then it came back down and it totally submerged itself and formed, it looked like, a solid formation under the water. And then it started moving without making any splashes. It wasn含羞草研究社檛 disturbing the water at all, but you could see clearly it was a round object that was submerged right under the surface of the water and it was moving incredible speeds.含羞草研究社�

Shannon Stewart, who also observed the unusual object, described it as 含羞草研究社渞eally weird.含羞草研究社�

含羞草研究社淭here was a dark shadow moving across the water, then it would disappear and reappear moving in the other direction. This went on for a long time,含羞草研究社� Stewart told PAN.

含羞草研究社淲e used binoculars to look because we thought it was a whale in the bay or a flock of birds, maybe. But we couldn含羞草研究社檛 see any birds, but there was something at the tip of the shadow coming out of the water like a seal or something.含羞草研究社�

Asked if what Stewart observed could have been a submarine, she said no.

含羞草研究社淚t definitely wasn含羞草研究社檛 a submarine. It didn含羞草研究社檛 move like a submarine at all.含羞草研究社�

Kilback offered two theories, suggesting the object was related to US Navy technology or it was extraterrestrial.

含羞草研究社淚t looked like either nano-tech, or it was ethereal, man. I含羞草研究社檓 telling you. I do believe that we can含羞草研究社檛 be the only ones in this universe. You can含羞草研究社檛 help but think aliens, man,含羞草研究社� Kilback said.

Contacted by PAN, White Rock Sea Tours owner Andrew Newman, who has spent countless hours in Semiahmoo Bay, weighed in on what the object could have been.

Newman said when the atmospheric conditions are just right, objects in the water 含羞草研究社� such as a vessel 含羞草研究社� can appear distorted.

含羞草研究社淚t looks like a mirage,含羞草研究社� Newman said.

Another theory, which Newman agreed is most likely, is that it could have been a flock of birds.

含羞草研究社淚含羞草研究社檝e seen that in the distance, and that is ridiculous, too. That looks like a flying saucer,含羞草研究社� Newman said.

Local photographer and birder pointed to Dunlin, small birds that flock in numbers up to 40,000.

含羞草研究社淚 can totally understand why (some) think it含羞草研究社檚 alien or other worldly!含羞草研究社� Paton wrote to PAN. 含羞草研究社淏ut they含羞草研究社檙e tiny little birds!含羞草研究社�

Paton explained that the birds arrive over winter and move up and down the coast in great numbers before returning to the Arctic in the summer.

含羞草研究社淎s they turn and catch the light they seem to disappear for a while but then catch the light 含羞草研究社� black and then white 含羞草研究社� absolutely brilliant to watch,含羞草研究社� she wrote.

Paton said the birds are about the size of a thumb.

含羞草研究社淭heir dance or murmuration is usually a defence manoeuvre to evade peregrine falcons,含羞草研究社� Paton wrote. 含羞草研究社淭hey flash and swoop and vanish and try to trick the falcon.含羞草研究社�

Kilback, however, isn含羞草研究社檛 convinced.

含羞草研究社淭here含羞草研究社檚 no chance it was birds. Not at all, man.含羞草研究社�