Dates for the 2014 Field Season

We've locked in some dates for the 2014 Field Season:
Rookies' briefing at Melbourne Museum on Saturday 12 October
Rookie's training day on Sunday 10 November.
Eric the Red West from 1 - 22 February.
We'll run a Friends' Day at Flat rocks after the ETRW dig - more details later.

Maxillae

Remember the ornithopod jaws that Mary and Sharyn found at Eric the Red West this year?  Dave has let slip that these are actually maxillae (that is, upper teeth rows not lower).  As Dr Tom Rich keeps telling us, because they are a weaker bone, maxillae are a lot rarer than mandibles (lower jaws) - in fact, it is not unusual to find 20 mandibles preserved for every maxilla.  So once again, our Eric the Red West site has yielded the unexpected.

2014 Field Season speculations

I popped into the Museum yesterday to pick up some old photos that might be fun to put in the 2013 Field Report. Whilst I was there, I had a cup of tea with Dave and Lesley and some of the other DD crew. We still have not locked in dates for the 2014 Field Season.
Most likely outcome - we will run a Rookies' training day at Flat Rocks in November or so, a 2 or 3 week dig at Eric the Red West in February, and Friend's Day at Flat Rocks in March. Eric the Red West is not accessible enough for it to be a good Friend's day venue, and just a little too far away for it to be a good Rookies' day site.
There are two things that are really preventing us from locking things in: Museum Victoria is planning to relate the Vertebrate Palaeontology collection from under the Royal Exhibition Building to within the Melbourne Museum building (Dave would need to oversee that rather than run a dig), and funding could still magically appear for the Koonwarra dig by 2014 (which could be an eight week dig and cancel other plans).
So watch this space - I'll post dates as soon as I can.

Dinosaur stamps

I managed to get a sneak peek at the "Prestige booklet" that Dr Tom Rich has been working on for the Australia Post dinosaur stamps due out later this year. It looks awesome! Diggers and regular readers of this blog may even recognise a few of the people in it. Sorry this post is somewhat of a teaser - I'll link to the Aussie Post website as soon as they publish images.

Pulling out Sea Spurge at Crayfish Bay

Friends of Otway National Park at work

Pip waving at the camera while pulling out Sea Spurge at Crayfish Bay (next beach along from the Eric the Red West dinosaur site) this morning, on a working bee with Mike and Cate Cousland and the Friends of Otway National Park.

Sharyn's art show

Sharyn Madder (who has dug with us since 2009) is showing her amazing art at Cambridge Studio Gallery from August 7th to 24th.  Opening drinks are on Saturday August 10th.  Check it out!

Two short films



Joe and a short-faced kangaroo

 On Friday night two short films by Dinosaur Dreaming Diggers screened at the Brunswick St Gallery.
Joe Burgess, who dug with us this year, presented an early cut of the "Australian Megafauna Project".  I had not realised it involved life-sized models.  These interact with our modern urban environment between shots of scientists (including Erich Fitzgerald and David Pickering) showing us the bones that remain.  It's hard to explain. Go see it next time it screens.
David Hocking dug with us from 2007 to 2009 and is a PhD candidate in palaeontology.  You may remember his video on Leopard Seals.  David presented "Life on the Rocks" a short film about the fur seals that he has been studying.  These live off the coast of Phillip Island.  The film includes a scene where a juvenile seal is caught in order to remove the fishing net caught around his neck, and some footage of a mother seal greeting her pup.  Perhaps David will post it on-line.  I'll let you know if he does.