Tar River 5-2014

The initial scout trip to Rocky Mount proved so successful that David Sanderson secured two more trips there, one on May 23th and the next on May 30th (still looking at the fact that this area will soon be closed). It was decided that since the collecting area was so small the trips would be limited to 15 maximum – 10 would be better. It was also decided that because the number of participants would be so limited, we would put out the sign-up sheets at the meeting on the 18th first, to give folks attending the meeting first crack at this new site. The morning of the 23rd dawned clear and not too hot! 15 club members met at 10:00am to collect the Yorktown. The quarry manager told us that no one had been to the area we were going to since we were there a month ago. We looked forward to some good collecting and we were not disappointed. Julie (and possibly others) found worn meg teeth in the gravel piles, while Don, Eric, Bob, Gary and I found great white teeth. A few more Emmons fish teeth were found, lots of small fish vertebra, fish bones, whale bone chunks, whale vert. chunks, and I scored the shark chewed rib fragment this time. There were many Chesapectens, bivalves and barnacles; and several crab claws and fish skulls too.  Possibly the coolest finds of the day were a small jaw fragment with a tooth attached (and a loose tooth nearby) that look like they come from some sort of mammal and the partial mouth-plate with teeth still in it.  All in all a great day. We again owe special thanks to Mary Harbison for sharing this site with our club and to John Warlick Hanson Quarry for the opportunity to hunt. Linda McCall