Live in the North of England?
Seals can be spotted around the coastline, in England we have both Grey and Common Seals. Look out for them in Estuaries and from high vantage points overlooking the sea like RSPB Bempton Cliffs. Sometimes all you will see is the snout of a Seal, as they practice ‘bottling’- taking a vertical nap in the seal! Seals can be very sensitive to disturbance though, so to be in with the best chance of spotting them, view quietly from a distance and give them plenty of space to rest and relax, especially when on the shoreline with young. At RSPB Saltholme, you can sometimes spot up to 40 Grey Seals gathered in Greatham Creek.
RSPB Leighton Moss, Hodbarrow or RSPB Haweswater can be great places to look for Otters. These elusive creatures can be hard to predict but there are plenty of other sights to see at these reserves too!
Vast tidal mudflats can be vital feeding grounds for birds, where nutrient rich mud hides a huge number of crabs, insects and other coastal crustaceans. While you might not be able to see the species submerged in the deep, soft mud, huge numbers of birds gather at places like the Dee Estuary and Ribble Estuaries, and Morecambe Bay.
For seabirds, St Bee’s Head, Cumbria offers cliff nesting Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills, while in North East, Bempton Cliffs are home to vast colonies of Gannets, Kittiwakes, Puffins and other seabirds.
Live in Central England?
Seals can be spotted around the coastline. In England we have both Grey and Common Seals. Look out for them in Estuaries and from high vantage points overlooking the sea. Sometimes all you will see is the snout of a Grey Seal, as they practice ‘bottling’ - taking a vertical nap in the seal! Seals can be very sensitive to disturbance though, so to be in with the best chance of spotting them, view quietly from a distance and give them plenty of space to rest and relax, especially when on the shoreline with young.
Live in Southern England?
Seals can be spotted around the coast. In England we have both Grey and Common Seals. Look out for them around the coastline and from high vantage points overlooking the sea, at places like Carbis Bay in Cornwall. Sometimes all you will see is the snout of a Grey Seal, as they practice ‘bottling’ - taking a vertical nap in the seal!
At RSPB Arne, seals can often be spotted on the Shipstall shoreline. Seals can be very sensitive to disturbance though, so to be in with the best chance of spotting them, view quietly from a distance and give them plenty of space to rest and relax, especially when on the shoreline with young.
Vast mudflats can be vital feeding grounds for birds, where nutrient rich mud hides a huge number of crabs, insects and other coastal crustaceans. While you might not be able to see the species submerged in the deep, soft mud, huge numbers of birds gather at places like Hayle, Cornwall, the Exe Estuary Devon, Wallasea in Essex, Pagham Harbour, West Sussex and the Middlebere Look-Out at RSPB Arne in Dorset can hold vast numbers of shorebirds and waders in Autumn and Winter.
We’ve pulled together ‘Where to see blogs’ for each episode of Wild Isles, so if you’re still catching up with this incredible series, you can find the full collection of these blogs here –
Freshwater Grasslands Woodlands Our Precious Isles
If you, like many others, want to know how you can become a nature guardian and help protect our Wild Isles, a special ‘Saving Our Wild Isles’ documentary, co-produced by Silverback Films, RSPB and WWF is also available on BBC iPlayer from 8pm tonight – There are so many ways to save nature and it needs all of us to help!