Sighting in Charenton-le-Pont, October 10, 2020

On a Saturday evening, at around 8:20 to 8:25 pm, the witness was outdoors with their partner when they noticed a swarm of small orange lights. The lights fluttered and swirled in a stationary circle, like phosphorescent birds. Perhaps two or three isolated lights came toward the swarm from the southwest and then left. The bright group then headed north, northeast or east, growing fainter before vanishing into the few clouds visible in the distance. The sighting lasted about two minutes. No photo, video or sketch accompanies the report, and it is the only account collected for this event.

The investigation looked at two hypotheses: Chinese-style sky lanterns (Thai lanterns) and birds. Lanterns matched in appearance, movement, duration and manner of disappearance, as well as the fact that it was a Saturday night. However, no release permit had been requested from the prefecture, no other report existed despite the densely populated area, and the direction of travel did not clearly match the light winds recorded by three weather stations, although in an urban setting such light winds can vary considerably.

Birds also fit the appearance and the trajectory. The witness made a second, very similar observation at the same time the following week and attributed it to birds. Street lighting could account for the lights' appearance and their disappearance. The Ligue de Protection des Oiseaux d'Ile-de-France suggested starlings, or possibly ring-necked parakeets, but the town hall said no bird-scaring operation had taken place. A gathering of local birds near the Bois de Vincennes remained plausible. GEIPAN classified the case as B: probable misidentification of birds.