Gmr Post Pcs Trip

[Fat Boy]

My plan was to get an early start and be at the creek by about 7 am or so, but for various reasons we didn't arrive and enter the creek until about 11 am or so. We entered the creek and started down stream to find gravel to sift and didn't get very far as my shovel and feet felt some gravel, so we took a few test sifts. We immediately found teeth and belemnites in the 1/4" screen sifter, so we decided to give it a whirl right there. My sister took the 1/4" sifter and I took the 1/2" one. A short while later, MikeDOTB strolls down stream to us, and after introducing each other we struck up a fossiling friendship and spend the rest of the day sifting that same spot together (we might have left but he convinced us it was worth staying). And, Mike, thanks for doing that because it was worth it. Let me tell you, Mike is a great guy and I look forward to hooking up with him again on another GMR adventure in the future. Just to give you an idea, I've never met a guy who'd give away a meg, but he gave one to a little boy that was curious to what we were doing (well, it was worn and about 3/4 of one, but it was still a meg). Mike also used 1/2" mesh. After three sifts he found an awesome great white, complete, and his day was made, anything after that was gravy. My next sift yielded two pretty good makos and a partial worn meg, and my next sift gave me another 1/2 meg. My hopes were high. After finding some assorted teeth (sand tigers, a few crow sharks, some goblin sharks, worn makos and meg chunks, and some belemnites) I found what I thought was my prize for the day, and 1.5 inch long mosasaur tooth piece...aw...only a piece, but pretty cool. However, the next sift gave me the real prize, a complete 1" long mosasaur tooth! Here's another note: Mike was kidding about the folks he's been collecting with that have fallen into the drink, including himself. Well, add two more members, me and my sister, both with a face full of GMR water.

Well, on to the fossiling pics:

Here are a few of Mike's finds, the beautiful GW on the right:

Some field shots:

Mike:

My sister, sifting away:

My other prize for the day, a Lepomis macrochirus:

Crow sharks (note: I have some S. pristodontis and S. kaupis, but I think the one on the right is a different species, but not sure)

My great white for the day:

Some nice makos:

1/2 meg:

Mosasaur teeth:

My prize:

[sweeneyb]

I just got back from GMR a couple minutes ago. I have never been and mainly only found belemnites and nothing much else. The only other thing I did see was a very large water moc.

[MikeDOTB]

It was great meeting you and your sister this last Sunday. It was definitely a lot of fun and definitely let me know next time you are in the area we will have to get another hunt or two in. This time we can trade off, you can find a GW and I will find a mososaur tooth. I definitely didnt mind giving away the beat up meg and then finding that posterior meg which was in really good condition, just missing a chip off of one side.

Yeah that makes four of us now who have taken a drive into the run. Blah, I am just making sure I pack hand sanitizer every time I go back. So that way I can hopefully kill off anything that gets on me next time I fall in.

Well until next time, good hunting.

~MikeDOTB

[MikeDOTB]

I just got back from GMR a couple minutes ago. I have never been and mainly only found belemnites and nothing much else. The only other thing I did see was a very large water moc.

SweenyB- If you don't mind me asking, where did you see the water moccasin? Not much other then belemnites? I am sorry to hear that. Water moccasins are definitely around. Its very hard keeping an eye out for the non-fossilized fauna when you get caught up in looking for the fossilized fauna. I have seen two moccasins this year. The worst part is that even though some people say they aren't, I have noticed now that they can be aggressive, even if you are leaving them alone and only want to pass through the area.

[sweeneyb]

SweenyB- If you don't mind me asking, where did you see the water moccasin? Not much other then belemnites? I am sorry to hear that. Water moccasins are definitely around. Its very hard keeping an eye out for the non-fossilized fauna when you get caught up in looking for the fossilized fauna. I have seen two moccasins this year. The worst part is that even though some people say they aren't, I have noticed now that they can be aggressive, even if you are leaving them alone and only want to pass through the area.

I walked up on it and it was playing dead so I thought it was dead but left it alone and then as soon as I left it started to move again. I saw it on the bank just before the feeder creek enters into GMR.

[MikeDOTB]

I walked up on it and it was playing dead so I thought it was dead but left it alone and then as soon as I left it started to move again. I saw it on the bank just before the feeder creek enters into GMR.

I walked up on one once, and it was "playing dead" after several hours it still hadnt moved so even though there wasnt a scratch on it, it was dead. I am not sure what killed it. And it was there the next day as well, just slightly harrassed by a kid with a stick that pushed it around a bit. I have never seen a moccasin play dead before though.

[mako-mama]

C'mon guys--

You always talk about how nasty the water in GMR is---but if that were so, the fish couldn't live there. I've thought of taking a cane pole and worms on a trip. I've had larger fish actually swim up to me.

Most likely, the large snakes you saw were were brown water snakes (not poisonous but hateful beasts)--esp if you saw any agression in them. Moccasins are pretty passive (and afraid of you).

Nice finds!!

[non-remanié]

Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying the hepatitis creek nickname has any factual basis, but if you dig deep gravel it will undoubtedly smell like raw sewage in spots. Not very pleasant. I usually have no problem getting soaked in creeks, but at GMR I really prefer to stay as dry as possible.

C'mon guys--

You always talk about how nasty the water in GMR is---but if that were so, the fish couldn't live there. I've thought of taking a cane pole and worms on a trip. I've had larger fish actually swim up to me.

Most likely, the large snakes you saw were were brown water snakes (not poisonous but hateful beasts)--esp if you saw any agression in them. Moccasins are pretty passive (and afraid of you).

Nice finds!!

[MikeDOTB]

LOL. The trash, smells and dead animal parts I have found in that creek are enough for me. I have seen bluegill in the creek around 5". I have even found fishing lures while screening. But I don't think I will join the ranks of fisherman seeing what they find in that creek. I will stick to a shovel, screen, waders and heavy boots anytime I think of searching in there. And hopefully not falling in there.

But yes, other wildlife I have seen in and around the creek are cranes, turtles (box and snapper), minnows, bluegill, snakes, several house cats, an eel, assorted insects including leeches), deer and other types of birds to say the least. I had a friend find a salamander one day.

As far as the snakes go, they are definitely water moccasins. They have a pretty distinct look to them. That and after the first one I saw in there I spent an hour online searching them and going through photos. Yes there are brown water snakes, but I don't think I agree on the "water moccasins are passive" thing. I mean, give them their space and they shouldn't be a problem, but who really spends the whole time watching out for snakes while they are looking for fossils. I know for me, my focus is 90% of the time on the bottom of the stream, material on my shovel, and in my screen.

Not to mention I have come up on a moccasin one time that didn't waste any time in showing me the pretty inside of its mouth and fangs.

But, leave them alone, and hopefully they leave you alone. That's the best way to go about it.

[Fat Boy]

Here are my finds using the 1/2" screen on the day, not including the bluegill pictured above, it was released unharmed to be caught by a youngster in the future or Mike's sifter. My sister found about 8.4 million teeth using the 1/4" screen...some day I'll help her arrange, identify, photo and post those finds.

Well, maybe 8.4 million is an exaggeration, but it was a lot of stuff, at least two baggies full! When we were eating Sonic cheeseburgers and appetisers, she pulled out her stuff and showed it to us...and then, oh wait, was that bag one or two? LOL She had a lot of fun, for sure.