Echinoid Ecstasy

[Uncle Siphuncle]

I've been wigging out on echies lately. Here are a few shots from the field from the last couple weekends. The specimens in yellow matrix as well as the small Goniopygus in gray are Boracho formation, Lower Cretaceous, West Texas. The last 3 specimens in gray matrix are from the Walnut fm, Lower K, Central TX. Note my 6 year old son Weston, a chip off the old echinoid. More echies this weekend. Muhaha!

[Archimedes]

Nice echinoids,

it looks like a bird on a rock is worth two echinoids in the hand.

[fossil man]

hey dan that is a cool baby owl, were you close to the nest?

[RJB]

Hey Dan. Very Cool! Nice urchins you have there. You are making texas more and more of an exciting place for hunting for fossils. Maybe the rest of us can hire you out for a huge fossil forum club fossil hunt!!!

RB

[Auspex]

Great finds! I do so miss the satisfaction of birthing fossils from rock with my own hands.

Careful around that fledgling Great Horned Owl! There are plenty of records of lacerated scalps from just such situations; as far as anyone can tell, the parents utterly lack any sense of humor.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Big Mama flew the nest as I rounded the corner of that quarry wall, leaving a curious Junior craning his neck to keep an eye on me at close range. Note the talons on the little rascal. We jumped a bobcat at close range in that quarry as well.

[Uncle Siphuncle]

There are sites down here that support groups pretty well, such as the Whiskey Bridge, Lake Texoma, and the North Sulphur River, but most of what you see in my reports comes from small, little known, and often slow weathering sites. Construction sites come and go and some have contributed greatly to my collection if only for a short time. I pour lots of effort into ferreting out these offbeat exposures and have a blast doing it. I find it well worth the effort. I really get a kick out of making my own observations and drawing my own conclusions in the field. Sizing up a virgin exposure for fossil potential is one of my favorite aspects of the whole pursuit. What isn't readily apparent from my reports is how big a fossil dragnet I throw over the state. Material from successive weekends could be taken from sites 800 miles apart in some cases. I'm able to visit some once per rain but I give others 2-3 years of rest in some cases to allow good collecting to be restored by the elements. Basically my plan is to have a handful of trips in mind early in the week, watch the conditions, then pick the best venue for the conditions late in the week. Minuteman flexibility is key to my strategy.

[Kyleontheweb]

Dan, totally awesome finds! Nice work, I'm sure you're very proud of those finds.

[Gatorman]

Cool post Dan!

[Uncle Siphuncle]

Its always fun to bring new sites, new species, and species upgrades into the fold. Tomorrow will bring a 10 site echinoid marathon that will cover 4 or 5 counties and culminate in the glow of my rechargeable lantern. I'll hook up with a buddy up north in the a.m. then peel off and run solo until after dark. Not a nanosecond of precious daylight will be squandered.

[Auspex]

Birders do this, we call it a "Big Day". Midnight to midnight, on a carefully crafted route, to see how many species we can find. You, at least, will have something physical to show for it!