Hello from Durham - long time lurker, finally joining up!

Right, I've been reading Quirk Reports for about three years without actually posting anything, but I figured it was time to properly join the community. I'm a 32-year-old IT consultant based in Durham with what I'd call a "skeptical believer" outlook - I believe weird stuff happens but I want evidence and proper methodology behind it.

I've got an interest in UAP monitoring and cryptozoology, though my main experience so far has been watching the skies from my back garden and reading absolutely everything I can find about the topic. I've read the major works - Jenny Randles, Richard Dolan, all that - and I've spent way too much time on Reddit UFO communities, which is what actually brought me here.

I'm keen to get more involved in actual observation and research, and I figure this community seems way more grounded and thoughtful than some of the other forums out there. There's quite a few cryptid reports from the northeast which interests me as well.

Hoping to contribute meaningfully rather than just lurk forever. Cheers for having me!

Welcome aboard! Durham's brilliant for observing - you've got decent dark skies if you head out towards the Pennines and the community up here is really active. Definitely post any sightings you have and feel free to ask questions. We're all about evidence and methodology here, so you'll fit right in.

Excellent introduction. We need more "skeptical believers" - people who actually care about evidence rather than just wanting everything to be aliens. Stick around, ask questions, and don't be shy about challenging claims. That's how we keep the standard high.

Welcome! The northeast has some fascinating history with unusual sightings. If you haven't already, look into the Spring-heeled Jack appearances from the 1800s - some of them were reported in Durham and they're absolutely bizarre. Might be worth exploring local archives as well.

IT consultant background is useful actually - we could use someone with tech skills for collating data and cross-referencing sightings. If you're interested in getting more involved in that side of things, let me know. Always happy to work with people who care about proper methodology.

Love the enthusiasm. Fair warning though: prepare yourself for the skeptics and the true believers clashing regularly. Try to stay in the middle ground where most of us are. Also, lurking for three years is perfectly fine - you've definitely got up to speed on how things work here!