Bayfront beach search today

[Ted37]

Spent about  2 hours around the bend. For some reason I don't seem to ever do good just walking down the beach. (I am still pretty new to this). I  got there around 1 pm low tide and a lot of cars in the lot. So I sifted through the shell line and found about 20 teeth. For me a few interesting ones, the biggest slightly over an inch.. I wanted to get others opinion. Is it better to walk and look on the beach or sift through the shell line? If I had all day I would try both, usually I only have an hour or two and twice when just walking and looking I found Nothing! I did see a 5 ft snake in the water shoot out from a fallen tree  today and some smaller rocks coming down off the cliffs. Definitely, need to watch what your doing there. The pic is a few I found today.

[Woopaul5]

It just takes time and patience. All my trips to brownies I always got their first light and tried to time it slightly after high tide. Your best bet is with the tide going out. Good luck!

[Miocene_Mason]

I go when tides halfway down and I never sift. It’s snake season, so be careful. Most (but not all) are nonvenomous but all can bite. Over time your eyes will get more attuned to it. My biggest tip would be look for bone, and pick it up even if it looks unassuming, never know what it’s connected to (could be a meg). Granted my only meg is partial, but many I’ve talked to tell me this.

[Darktooth]

I always bring a shovel. That way if I don't see anything being thrown up by the waves, I scoop tbe shell line and toss it up on the beach. 

[Littlefoot]

Those are some nice finds!

 

I've stopped sifting, as I've found that so many teeth are washed up by the waves, and I need to grab them before a wave gobbles them up again. Sifting is a lot of work, and it forces me to focus my attention on just one area and I may miss teeth washing up inches away.

 

I like Darktooth's suggestion of bringing a shovel to toss things up on the beach.

 

I also wanted to add that I was at Bayfront (Brownie's) on Sept. 30, and it was PACKED with people hunting for teeth, including a large number of people around the bend. I didn't walk out with many teeth, though the beach yielded some nice vertebrae pieces, so I would echo WhodamanHD in that you should keep an eye peeled for bone.

 

I do think the beach may be pretty picked over, and it may be be a lot more productive after a few good winter storms to wash some new fossils up.

 

 

[Plax]

Surface collect when it's profitable and screen when it isn't. If you use small screens under your assumed quarter inch you can take those siftings home to pick for small taxa. No ones eyes are good enough to see the myriad small species from standing up and looking. If you only want large teeth then forget what I've just said

[Rowboater]

Agree with Plax.  If I go to the beach, I find most of the teeth in the wash, just covering ground.  Your eye gets used to IDing teeth by roots, but you still have to bend over while walking, unless you are only interested in big teeth.  Then cover ground. Check higher up as well as the obvious tide line; I have found my few big teeth out in the open high up on the beach after storms.   If picked over you have to screen, but often certain areas seem to hold many teeth, it's not all equal (or maybe it's confidence in certain spots?) 

[Fossil-Hound]

Sifting is a waste of time. It's better to just look around. I noticed a large tooth in the sand that was a bit camouflaged and watched a guy step on it! Now I wasn't rude enough to run up to him, shove him out of the way, and grab it so I patiently waited. While his foot was on it he was looking around for teeth. He finally left and I slowly walked over to his spot and picked it up. I didn't tell him of his misfortune. Didn't have the heart to do that, but they are out there. You have to check all the nooks and crannies.

[Ted37]

Thank you for all the replies. I actually went again this weekend and almost got skunked. I did see one lady mind a small meg though. Maybe my eyes will just take time learning what to see. I found one tooth from walking and then only three from sifting. In the pic, the top left was a sift find, my largest tooth found, at 1.25 inch. The one below is the first I found by walking and even that one was found by moving a rock in the edge of the water.  I have a few spots where I know I can find teeth sifting, and one of them I saw a guy find a small meg sifting right at the spot. So, I will continue to sift, and also work on my spotting teeth while walking. The other teeth, are some others I found at Bayfront on previous days. Also, I think the item at the top towards the left is a bone. Anyone with any idea? Thanks!