Jump to content

Member of the Month - February 2023 - ZiggyCardon

Fossildude19

By Fossildude19
in Member of the Month

 Share

Recommended Posts

Fossildude19 Regular Member

Fossildude19

Posted
Posted

A new year is off to a shaky start. Winter is in full swing, here in the US,  although with global warming, those winters are looking quite different for some of us. Warmer than normal in the north east, colder than normal down south. Weird weather patterns abound. 
But there is the reassurance that spring is on the way, with all the promise and hope it brings with it.  With this changing weather, despite predictions of the pesky, ground dwelling rodentia, we bring some sunshine with the announcement of this months, wearer of the Fossil Forum's community Crown - I am delighted to announce this month's winner of the Member of the Month is none other than the always cheerful -

 

 

:yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:  ziggycardon :yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:

 

A member with us since September of 2018, "Ziggy" has regaled us with impressive trip reports, amazing photos and posts of his

incredible collection, and bantered with  us about the latest topics and discussions with everything pertaining to fossils, while also sharing his interests of pets, reptiles and various other interests of his. Always kind and helpful, and knowledgeable beyond Jurassic Park about all things fossily, "Ziggy" brings a light but impressive touch to his postings.

 

Ken, thank you for everything you bring to this Forum. We appreciate you, and your contributions.

Congratulations on this well deserved award. Wear it well.  :)

 

Please share with us your journey to fossil collecting, and the Forum, if you are so inclined.

 

Congratulations again! Well done sir!!

  • Enjoyed 3
  • Thank You 1

    Tim    -  VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER

   MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png      PaleoPartner.png.30c01982e09b0cc0b7d9d6a7a21f56c6.png.a600039856933851eeea617ca3f2d15f.png     Postmaster1.jpg.900efa599049929531fa81981f028e24.jpg    VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png  VFOTM  --- APRIL - 2015  

__________________________________________________
"In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."
John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~   ><))))( *>  About Me      

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Fossildude19 featured and pinned this topic
Coco Regular Member

Coco

Posted
Posted

Hi,

 

Congrats Ziggy

 

Coco

  • Thank You 1

----------------------
OUTIL POUR MESURER VOS FOSSILES : ici

Ma bibliothèque PDF 1 (Poissons et sélaciens récents & fossiles) : ici
Ma bibliothèque PDF 2 (Animaux vivants - sans poissons ni sélaciens) : ici
Mâchoires sélaciennes récentes : ici
Hétérodontiques et sélaciens : ici
Oeufs sélaciens récents : ici
Otolithes de poissons récents ! ici

Un Greg...

Badges-IPFOTH.jpg.f4a8635cda47a3cc506743a8aabce700.jpg Badges-MOTM.jpg.461001e1a9db5dc29ca1c07a041a1a86.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Manticocerasman Regular Member

Manticocerasman

Posted
Posted

Congrats Ken :yay-smiley-1:

Are you attending to the BVP field trip of 26 February? :)

  • Thank You 1

growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Fin Lover Regular Member

Fin Lover

Posted
Posted

Congratulations!

  • Thank You 1

Fin Lover

image.png.e69a5608098eeb4cd7d1fc5feb4dad1e.png image.png.e6c66193c1b85b1b775526eb958f72df.png image.png.65903ff624a908a6c80f4d36d6ff8260.png

image.png.7cefa5ccc279142681efa4b7984dc6cb.png

My favorite things about fossil hunting: getting out of my own head, getting into nature and, if I’m lucky, finding some cool souvenirs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Regular Member

pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon

Posted
Posted

Congratulations, Ken! Well deserved, and have loved seeing your collection grow! :yay-smiley-1:

  • Thank You 1

'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Top Trilo Regular Member

Top Trilo

Posted
Posted

Congratulations! Your contributions don't go unnoticed!

  • Thank You 1

“If fossils are not "boggling" your mind then you are simply not doing it right” -Ken (digit)

"No fossil is garbage, it´s just not completely preserved” -Franz (FranzBernhard)

"With hammer in hand, the open horizon of time, and dear friends by my side, what can we not accomplish together?" -Kane (Kane)

"We are in a way conquering time, reuniting members of a long lost family" -Quincy (Opabinia Blues)

"I loved reading the trip reports, I loved the sharing, I loved the educational aspect, I loved the humor. It felt like home. It still does" -Mike (Pagurus)

“The best deal I ever got was getting accepted as a member on The Fossil Forum. Not only got an invaluable pool of knowledge, but gained a loving family as well.” -Doren (caldigger)

"it really is nice, to visit the oasis that is TFF" -Tim (fossildude19)

"Life's Good! -Adam (Tidgy's Dad)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
fossilhunter21 Regular Member

fossilhunter21

Posted
Posted (edited)

Congratulations, Ken! :yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1::yay-smiley-1:

 

Cheers and Shalom,

 

-Micah

Edited by fossilhunter21
  • Thank You 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
ziggycardon Regular Member

ziggycardon

Posted
Posted

Ooh wow, thanks a lot everyone! I am very honoured to have been named member of the month in my birthday month!  
An awesome early birthday surprise :D 

 

Well, here’s my fossil story!

 

I’ve been interested in both prehistoric life and animals since a young age.
Some of my earliest memories from when I was around 4 – 5 years old (around the years 1999 – 2000) are watching Walking With Dinosaurs on repeat while I played with my toy dinosaurs of which I had a couple of boxes full (one for the small ones and a box for the larger ones).
According to my parents I ran around with a small book from said documentary and could recite most names. I guess I never really grew out of it. ;) 

 

I’ve also always been a bookworm for encyclopedia’s and I still have some in my bookcase which I got as presents when I was of a very young age.

Since my parents aren’t interested in anything science I’ve never really visited any major musea until I was old enough to go on my own initiative. The first time I saw dinosaur fossils was in 2007 when I was 12 years old when a temporary expo called “China Dino” was at the Natural History Museum in Maastricht which exhibited some dinosaur fossils from China.

imageedit_1_9442236059.jpg.28df3eff9993cf13ecd58abcb6984b7d.jpg

 

 

During elementary school my interested shifted more towards animals but when went to highschool I became more interested in fossils and prehistoric life again, mainly due to my interest in the evolutionary biology which struck in like a meteorite after I first came in contact with the theory of evolution after watching the 2006 documentary “Was Darwin Wrong?” on Natgeo channel (Since that documentary sparked my interest, I guess he was not) ;) 

My interest in this field as well as in Darwin grew more when the dutch/belgian series “Beagle: In het kielzog van Darwin” aired which retraced the entire voyage of the Beagle with a ship full of scientists, artists, philosophers and ancenstors of the man himself.

Around this time I also first visited the UK where I purchased my first fossils, a Hildoceras ammonite and a coprolite from Madagascar.

370857724_162331809465435929(8).jpg.cc0b00f5b175e1319b64ec703d696f8a.jpg.39b473579ac8f49ba2fd68342d0835f9.jpg

 

 

In the next years I did purchase some fossils as well when I found them on markets or online but the hobby really started for me in 2015 when I visited a local fossil shop in Valkenburg (which since has closed) where I bought a mammoth bone, a mosasaur tooth and an Edmontosaurus tooth.
Soon after that I discovered the existence of online fossil shops and we all know how that ended up.

In 2019 I joined the BVP “Belgian Society for Paleontology” and I went on my first ever fossil hunt to Eben-Emael where my girlfriend and I were guided by @Manticocerasman & @Natalie81

imageedit_3_2196864977.thumb.jpg.8a2d6a0ab725902a213cfdc972aa4d17.jpg

 


Since then I’ve been trying to attend most of the excursions organized by the club, including the field trip to Poland last year. And I am planning on joining the Dutch Geological Society as well, especially the Winterswijk group.

Then last month I’ve also started volunteering as a volunteer prepper at the oertijdmuseum in Boxtel after we met curator Jonathan who was with us at the fieldschool in Poland.

imageedit_5_8805955309.jpg.869e5bfa09157136512aecb473203ede.jpg

 

For the rest I think most know I am very interested in animals and have kept many reptiles, amphibians, invertebrates and fish over the years and I do still profesionally work with reptiles and exotics. 

I am also a huge fantasy geek and due to this interest managed to meet Sam Neil himself who plays doctor Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise.

imageedit_7_6544243894.jpg.35742289bc2f3d3a275ac97e4e6a55ec.jpg

 

Ever since joining the forum I’ve made great friends both on an off the forum, I’ve gotten my hands on many wishlist fossils, I’ve started fossil hunting myself, I’ve gotten myself a fossilroom, and I’ve learned a whole lot about palaeontology and geology.
I’ve said it back in 2018 when I joined and I say it again, this forum is one of the warmest and most wholesome communities on the entire internet full of amazing people who share their passion and knowledge with love and enthusiasm. This is probably one of the reason why my interest in the hobby grew even more.

 

As for the future, well I just ordered my birthday fossils so that is definitely something to look out for! ;) 
I'll be visiting Solnhofen with the fossil club in may for a couple of days which will be guided by Jonathan from the Oertijdmuseum, also a couple of trips to Eben-Emael are planned as well as some excursion the the famous Balegem for Eocene shark teeth with the club. 
I do hope to visit the Isle of Wight and Scotland in the UK as well as the Jurassic Coast in the coming years as well as Faxe in Denmark, the Lourinha Coast in Portugal, Winterswijk and hopefully one day the White River Formation, Hell Creek or Lance Formations and Green River formation in the USA.

As for the collection itself I hope it will continue to grow as long as it can. I often compare my own collection to a book, which each display and fossil being pages from a book that together tell the story from life on earth. 

imageedit_9_9605289860.jpg.1dfa8d2170d9cb7b67c656267a37ef60.jpg

 

So many thanks for this, it means a lot! 
I really want to thank the entire moderator team of the forum for making this forum the amazing place that it is! 
As well as Kevin & Natalie who really helped me on track during my first fossil hunting years. 

 

 

 

 

  • I found this Informative 3
  • Enjoyed 11
  • Thank You 2

Interested in all things paleontology, geology, zoology, evolution, natural history and science!
Professional exotic pet keeper, huge fantasy geek, explorer of the microfossil realm, member of the BVP (Belgian Association for Paleontology), Volunteer prepper at Oertijdmuseum Boxtel.  

View my collection topic here:

The Growing Collection of Ziggycardon
My animal collection at the "Members pet" topic

Ziggycardon's exploration of the microfossil realm

Trips to Eben Emael (Maastrichtian of Belgium)

My latest fossil hunt

 

Next project will be a dedicated prepping space.

 

"A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." - Tyrion Lannister

 

5d68d9f3c550a_153657011360380104(21).jpg.bda3d3b7ae7b8321dd0620a0c61cc459.jpg5d68da1b497f5_153657011360380104(20).jpg.8610ffc65ccaa5d057e7b52b65989cd0.jpg5d68da353dd03_153657011360380104(24).jpg.ae73afaefa6ab34e7af5f6131aed96ff.jpgsolnhofen.jpg.76dd03ba7eb39946850662021b7d8dd4.jpg166802558255587143.jpg.c38d91e9e45f17addf29c40166b797a2.jpg5d68da49ad887_153657011360380104(25).jpg.dfff987039b3c99f41e44da51f71ae91.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ziggycardon Regular Member

ziggycardon

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Manticocerasman said:

Congrats Ken :yay-smiley-1:

Are you attending to the BVP field trip of 26 February? :)

Yes, I am already counting down to it! :D 

Interested in all things paleontology, geology, zoology, evolution, natural history and science!
Professional exotic pet keeper, huge fantasy geek, explorer of the microfossil realm, member of the BVP (Belgian Association for Paleontology), Volunteer prepper at Oertijdmuseum Boxtel.  

View my collection topic here:

The Growing Collection of Ziggycardon
My animal collection at the "Members pet" topic

Ziggycardon's exploration of the microfossil realm

Trips to Eben Emael (Maastrichtian of Belgium)

My latest fossil hunt

 

Next project will be a dedicated prepping space.

 

"A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge." - Tyrion Lannister

 

5d68d9f3c550a_153657011360380104(21).jpg.bda3d3b7ae7b8321dd0620a0c61cc459.jpg5d68da1b497f5_153657011360380104(20).jpg.8610ffc65ccaa5d057e7b52b65989cd0.jpg5d68da353dd03_153657011360380104(24).jpg.ae73afaefa6ab34e7af5f6131aed96ff.jpgsolnhofen.jpg.76dd03ba7eb39946850662021b7d8dd4.jpg166802558255587143.jpg.c38d91e9e45f17addf29c40166b797a2.jpg5d68da49ad887_153657011360380104(25).jpg.dfff987039b3c99f41e44da51f71ae91.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
JohnJ Regular Member

JohnJ

Posted
Posted

Congratulations, Ken!  You are always entertaining.  :D

  • Thank You 1

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites
pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon Regular Member

pachy-pleuro-whatnot-odon

Posted
Posted
17 minutes ago, ziggycardon said:

As for the future, well I just ordered my birthday fossils so that is definitely something to look out for! ;) 

 

I'll be visiting Solnhofen with the fossil club in may for a couple of days which will be guided by Jonathan from the Oertijdmuseum, also a couple of trips to Eben-Emael are planned as well as some excursion the the famous Balegem for Eocene shark teeth with the club. 
I do hope to visit the Isle of Wight and Scotland in the UK as well as the Jurassic Coast in the coming years as well as Faxe in Denmark, the Lourinha Coast in Portugal, Winterswijk and hopefully one day the White River Formation, Hell Creek or Lance Formations and Green River formation in the USA.

As for the collection itself I hope it will continue to grow as long as it can. I often compare my own collection to a book, which each display and fossil being pages from a book that together tell the story from life on earth.

 

Great story about how you discovered your interest in fossils, Ken! Somewhat different from me, probably as I'm just a bit older. But still very relatable! :D

 

Also, as I'm now a member of some of the same societies you are, hope to be get the chance to meet up in person on one of the many excursions you've got planned for the coming year! ;)

  • Thank You 1

'There's nothing like millions of years of really frustrating trial and error to give a species moral fibre and, in some cases, backbone' -- Terry Pratchett

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FossilDAWG Regular Member

FossilDAWG

Posted
Posted

When I was a kid living in the Netherlands (1969-1970ish) I used to ride my bike from Spaubeek where I lived to Valkenburg and I always stopped in at the fossil shop there.  I guess it's very likely it was the same one you mentioned.  I bought my first fossil fish there, and my first ammonite, and I still have them both.  It was always a wonderful place.

 

Don

  • Enjoyed 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Mark Kmiecik Regular Member

Mark Kmiecik

Posted
Posted

Congratulations. I always enjoy your posts.

  • Thank You 1

 

 

Mark.

 

Fossil hunting is easy -- they don't run away when you shoot at them!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Manticocerasman Regular Member

Manticocerasman

Posted
Posted
11 hours ago, ziggycardon said:

Yes, I am already counting down to it! :D 

Great , we will see you there :D 

 

  • Enjoyed 1

growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...