Unexpected finds and lucky wildlife encounter!

[TXV24]

Hi, 

 

I haven't been able to get out to the north coast this weekend to collect as I would normally do, so unfortunately I've got no croc teeth and mammal bones to show. However last night whilst doing some landscape photography along the coast been Bonchurch and Luccombe on the south coast of the Island, I made some pretty nice finds and had a really lucky wildlife encounter!  The local bedrock here at Bonchurch are the upper formations of Lower Greensand group, including the Sandrock and Monk's Bay Sandstone Fm. (named after the beach at Bonchurch). I've always presumed the Lower Greensand on this side of the Island is fairly unfossilferous, and being an addict for the tertiary beds up north I've never really taken the time to look so close to home. But last night whilst photographing the sunset in the rockpools, I thought I'd take a little look around, and was really surprised. I searched for about 15 minutes (light was fading) and picked up 5 ammonite phragmocone casts (sorry if that's wrong I haven't properly collected ammonites for years) and 3 fragments of ammonites, one of which I've tentatively ID'd as being Euhoplites. I was pretty pleased with this I've collected ammonites before from around Ventnor but never thought of looking for them here in Bonchurch. 

 

The best 'find' of the evening however was a little bit more alive and 'mammaly'. I was picking up the ammonite fragments when I heard a loud breathing sound coming from the water, having done marine mammal surveys and been up close and personal to loads of cetaceans in the wild, I thought it sounded almost identical to a cetacean, I looked up and found myself eye to eye with a Grey Seal instead. Seals, and especially Grey Seals, are not common on the Island so seeing one on our coasts was really lucky!  I only had my wide angle lens so the photos are pretty (very) bad quality, but I'm planning on heading down there again this evening with my telephoto, to collect more ammonites, and see if he's still in the area. Overall not a bad trip aha! 

 

The ammonite finds, phragmocones and fragments. 

 

 

Euhoplites s.p?

The Grey Seal, watching me suspiciously. 

[digit]

Nice to find some unexpected goodness close to home. Looking forward to photos from the telephoto if your subject stays around the area.

 

Cheers.

 

-Ken

[JohnBrewer]

Nice finds!

[TXV24]

@JohnBrewer @digit Thanks guys!

[Yvie]

How lovely to see the seal,evidently there are now about 40 living in Hayling Chichester area just over the Solent from you.We saw one in the liner dock at Southampton a few months ago.It obviously enjoyed an audience as it ate and swam around for three quarters of an hour being filmed and photographed by hoards of people.Nice finds too!