March 2009
Calvert Cliffs, Maryland

With my wife heading up north on family business and my son away at school, I made a quick decision
to take a Friday off and head down to Calvert Cliffs for a couple of days.
 
This was my first trip down to the cliffs and I had the good fortune to team up with one of the local
collectors for a time as we searched for exposed beaches to scan. An abnormally high tide made collecting
a little tricky, but afforded us amble time to chat as we waded from one spot to the next. I wished him good luck
as he headed further along the cliffs and I settled down to work a section of beach that looked promising.

With the tides so high, I decided to cut the trip short, and headed back on Saturday afternoon as soon as the
incoming tide forced me off the beach. Nothing spectacular to report, but I had a great time and look
forward to my next trip. I will pay a little more attention to the tide tables next time.
John  

Bayfront Park, better know as Brownies beach to fossil collectors.

   Abnormally high tides during the weekend left many areas underwater.
This picture was taken just a few hours before low tide.

Collapsed sections of the cliff are constantly replenishing the supply
of shark teeth.
 

Part of my haul, snaggletooth teeth were plentiful, a couple of makos,
a complete cow, porpoise and a hammerhead at the bottom right.
 

A little wave action on Saturday and some larger teeth started to show up.
 This meg is a real heartbreaker.
 

One of the nicer teeth of the trip. This mako is just shy of 1 1/4 inches.
 

The cliffs abound in fossil shells, but they are very fragile. I found these
in a recent collapse. I let these soak in a PVA and alcohol solution for about
an hour. Most of the shells I collected did not survive the trip back to NJ.