A trip to North Norfolk

             Grey Seals give birth in late November and early December. Level sandy beaches backed by dunes provide them with the ideal places to haul out and give birth. Most winters, Winterton beach in the north of Norfolk hosts many hundreds of adults seeking safe, undisturbed places to give birth. The pups are fed for the first three weeks and put on weight rapidly. Before they can adopt an fully aquatic lifestyle and feed for themselves the young must shed their white coat and replace it with a mottled grey, waterproof outer layer. 

             My trip there with friends coincided with the big chill.....the freezing fog and heavy frost  somehow added to the spectacle of both adults and pups spread all along the beach. One or two of the big males had even pulled themselves up into the dunes as though overseeing the whole coastline. Each year groups of volunteers are stationed at strategic points to ensure the seals are not disturbed by dogs or over-enthusiastic visitors. The females are easily spooked and are known to abandon pups if frightened. And if approached too closely the huge bull seals can become aggressive, adding to the need for distances to be kept by all parties.

             2022 seems to be a good year for pup numbers - in 2020 over 2000 pups were counted, lets hope this year is as good. It certainly is a fine wildlife spectacle.

Pups have little to do except sleep and put on weight

it is hard not to find the young seals endearing

Seals, young and old, spread out all along the beach at Winterton

if the females are well fed, pups can put on 2kg of weight a day

two of the many volunteers braving the freezing conditions to keep an eye