As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Thursday, 13 March 2014

Cahow Fossils Excavated In Southampton

March 10, 2014 

cahow-fossilsThe most recent newsletter of the Bermuda Zoological Society outlined the recent excavation of Cahow fossils in Southampton.

The site was uncovered by Dr. Robbie Smith, curator of the Natural History Museum, assisted by Jeremy Maderios and Peter Drew.

According an article by Dr Smith in the newsletter, “Bermuda has a fascinating history over the past 1 million years of its existence as a land mass and fossils reveal much about who was living on the islands in the past.

“I recently had the opportunity to excavate a set of fossil bird bones from a construction site in Southampton, assisted by Jeremy Maderios and Peter Drew.
“We found about seven complete sets of bird bones all mixed together in a very small area. Luckily for me Jeremy was able to verify that they were all cahows. What is most unusual was their location, well up on a hill and away from the coast, entombed in an old sand dune, probably about 70 to 80,000 years ago.


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