Flags Pond 01/04/19

[Littlefoot]

My kids had a bucket list for winter break, and one of the items was to go to a beach. Yes, my kids are the ones who enjoy going to beaches in winter! So on Friday, Jan. 4, I bundled the kids up and we headed out to Flags Pond, getting there at about 9 a.m., as the tide was coming in.

 

I can usually find some nice small teeth washing up with the tide there, and my kids and I got to work combing the beach. We had more luck with rays, but we still found a decent number of teeth. My oldest enjoys finding the coral pieces, which are easier for him to spot. My youngest kept trying to go swimming, and I had quite a time trying to keep her from belly flopping into the small waves. 

 

One thing I didn't like about this trip is that it was hard for me to help my kids find teeth, as they were washing up, and if you didn't grab them right away, they washed away. I like to find teeth, then circle a large area in the sand around the tooth and tell my kids to find the fossil. I tried that a few times, and the waves washed the tooth away before my kids could spot it. They got frustrated and eventually gave up and began burying "treasure" in the sand. (There may be some buried Cheez-its in the sand for future treasure seekers!)

 

Eventually, my youngest managed to submerge a good part of her body in the cold water when I wasn't looking -- sneaky! She was dressed in a snowsuit and boots, but she still got wet, and I didn't have enough backup clothes on hand. So back we trudged to the car. In my haste to get my youngest in dry clothes and into the warm car, I managed to forget my sand sifter. Alas! But, on the plus side, I walked out with some fossil finds and a wonderful day with my kids in a beautiful location!

[Littlefoot]

In all, we got about three hours of fossil hunting and digging in the sand for buried Cheez-its. Some pictures of our Flags Pond finds:

- Shark teeth

- What I think is a fragmented dolphin tooth

- Broken cookie

- Lots of rays!

- Some of my favorite bone fragments, and we found quite a lot!

- Coral pieces

[Littlefoot]

For the record, I wanted to mention that I encountered a fellow fossil hunter who found the first meg I've seen found at Flags Pond. Before we left, a man walked by and asked me what I'd found. Nothing impressive, I replied, and I asked what he had found.

 

"I got lucky," he said.

 

Turns out he'd found a good three-inch meg in the shallows. It was missing its root, but still has the serrations. A lucky find indeed!

 

I heard from my friend @Chomper that someone at Flags Pond found a good sized meg fragment wash up on the Sunday after I was there. Megs at Flags Pond! They exist!

[Tidgy's Dad]

Nice haul and a good variety.

The place looks very pretty but far too cold for my liking! 

[Innocentx]

Nice bunch of fossils and pretty place!

[Dan 1000]

Nice finds!

[Darktooth]

Nice finds! Glad you had quality time with you kids! The object in pic #2 looks like a crocodile tooth fragment.

[Raggedy Man]

Is this an old quarry?

[KimTexan]

I believe it is a nature park. It is on the Chesapeake Bay North of Calverts and south of Brownie’s.

[Al Tahan]

I love megs ...someday lol. Nice trip  

 

[Manticocerasman]

you did get a nice haul  great report .

 

[Ludwigia]

Reminds me of the good old days with my own kids. Now the grandchildren have taken over. Your youngest sounds like a real go-getter. How old are they?

[FossilsAnonymous]

@Littlefoot I have been finding broken odontocedete teeth as of late. Yours does look similar, but also may be a croc tooth frag. Hard to tell with broken teeth.Nice Hunt!

[Littlefoot]

7 hours ago, Raggedy Man said:

Is this an old quarry?

Hello Raggeddy Man! @KimTexan is correct that Flags Pond is a nature park. There are Miocene-epoch cliffs not too far, similar to Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, but there's no cliff access at the park itself. Small teeth and fossils can wash up on the beach, though. 

 

9 hours ago, Darktooth said:

Nice finds! Glad you had quality time with you kids! The object in pic #2 looks like a crocodile tooth fragment.

Thank you for the ID, Darktooth! A croc tooth would be a neat find, as I haven't found one before, not even a fragment!

 

5 hours ago, Ludwigia said:

Reminds me of the good old days with my own kids. Now the grandchildren have taken over. Your youngest sounds like a real go-getter. How old are they?

I'm betting you have had some wonderful times with your grandkids! My kids are 8 and 4, and the younger one is definitely the one who keeps my hands full! 

[Littlefoot]

@FossilsAnonymous -- thanks for the tip on the dolphin tooth fragments! (I need to practice saying odontocedete!) Have you posted pictures of your fragments here? Would love to see them!

[ShoreThing]

Glad you and the kids had fun! It looks like you have many more years of fossil hunting and family time all in one!