Just been to Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast for the first time (despite only living a few meals away!). What a spectacle! About a thousand breeding grey seals within easy sight - adult males and females, and lots of pups. Also a lot of people coming to see them! If you've never been, it's worth every effort. The seals come really close to the dunes and don't seem at all bothered by all the people stopping to watch them - many where literally only a few feet away (although the other side of a small picket fence). It was even possible to watch a mating ritual in progress - I felt like Simon King or Gordon Buchanan!
Make the boy interested in natural history if you can; it is better than games [Robert Falcon Scott]
Hi Cartimandua
How lovely! It would be great to see them up close, what a treat!
We have seals near where I live in the backwaters although I haven't seen them myself. You can take boat trips to see them, also walk there as well. Wardens patrol to make sure they are not disturbed especially when they are breeding so there only certain times you can go over there. My sister saw one at the end of the summer, the weather was really warm and they were swimming in the backwaters from a small beach. As she waded back in, she noticed a black head swimming about 100 yards away - I was so envious.
Regards
Kerry
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kezmo6310/
That's fantastic Cartimandua!! Did you take any photos? Must have been some sight, sound and smell!! Would love to go one day. Just had a look at the map and think it would just about be possible in a day... but a weekend would be better!
"All weeds are flowers, once you get to know them" (Eeyore)
My photos on Flickr
I've seen a few photos of the Donna Nook seals on a couple of forums I am a member of in the last week or so and they are brilliant. Different photographers but all were able to get really close to them. I wish I lived nearer...
The necessity of bird-watching is a really good reason for avoiding all forms of housework.
The dust will still be there tomorrow - the birds may not be!
Hubby has sent me his photos to add, so here are a couple:
Wall to wall seals above!
And here's a pup - taken from about 6 feet away....
And yes, we could hear them too! According to the information boards posted, the females defend their cubs and warn other females with a sort of eerie "whooooo" noise, and the pups call "mum, mum!" (really, they do!).
What wonderful photos - look how many there are! They are so cute I love their eyes
Great photos Cartimandua, do thank hubby for me please.
Oh wow! Great pics Cartimandua! Please do thank hubby for me too! :-)
Cartimandua, lovely photographs. Thanks to your Hubby and yourself for posting them.
Will pass on the compliments - hopefully will be able to go again before they all depart in a few weeks time :-)
Kezmo - those are just a few, they were practically end to end along the beach as far as the eye could see!