Grey Seals

ByDawn

Went to the Norfolk coast to try and photograph the seals this afternoon, seen as the weather person said it would brighten up. Unfortunately it didn’t and it was grey skies all the way. Still, I managed to get a shot of this little beauty, and as always it was amazing to watch and hear them.  It’s a bit early to see any pups yet, but plenty of adults where hauled out on the beach or playing together in the shallows. Out of the hundred or so shots I took I have five ‘okay’s’ , nothing brilliant, so a slow start to the week, but things can only get better right?!

There is an ongoing debate at the moment regarding the grey seal colony at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire, a real ‘honeypot’ site for wildlife watchers and photographers. Recently there has been much disturbance and a rise in the number of pup deaths. I’ve never been, so I can’t really comment, but one thing I do know is that where there are large numbers of humans, and large amounts of wildlife, there will be conflict. It only takes a few ‘bad apples’ to ruin it for everyone, but at the same time, the shear numbers of people visiting will of course cause disturbance to the seals.

What people don’t seem to realise is that there are plenty of places around the UK to watch seals, and we are very lucky to have them. I cannot claim to be well travelled, but even I have seen seals on the Welsh coast, the Northumbrian coast, as well as the Norfolk coast.  So my advice if you’re looking to watch or photograph seals this year – do your research and find your own site – you may be surprised to discover some right on your doorstep. If you’re looking for a fun family day out with the opportunity to photograph seals  – try a seal watching boat trip to Blakeney Point. The trips are reasonably priced, and offer great photographic opportunities and the boat driver can make sure you are always at a safe distance from the seals.

For more information about grey seals, take a look here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Gray_Seal

Similar Posts

  • Spring Bluebells

    ByDawn

    It’s been a few years since I last photographed Bluebells, they are such stunningly beautiful flowers, both en-mass and close up. Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Wayland Wood is a fantastic place to see them. Spring is my favourite time of year, and Spring in a woodland is simply glorious. The first thing that greets you is…

  • Close encounters

    ByDawn

    A dull and dreary start to the day at the Fen, with a heavy blanket of low cloud and mist. Nothing doing with the Sedge and Reed warblers, they were keeping low down in the reedbed, but still singing. Spotted the Little Grebe on his regular pool, shame there’s nowhere to get a clear view…

  • Slavonian Grebe

    ByDawn

    Out practising with the new lens today, and decided to head to the fine city of Norwich. More specifically, Whitlingham Country Park. Despite being close to the hustle and bustle of the city, the park often attracts our more unusual winter wildlife. The local waterfowl proved to be great target training. A serene Mute Swan,…

  • Garden Birds

    ByDawn

    Encouraged by my ‘Big Garden Birdwatch’ results, I decided to have a go at photographing the garden birds today. I wasn’t sure how they’d react, as I haven’t worked with them since last Summer. However, within minutes of setting up, the Blue and Great tits came down and happily used the perch straight away. The…

  • A Big Year

    ByDawn

    This year is a big year for me. Not in the same sense as a bird watchers ‘Big Year’, where they try to see as many different species as possible, but because today I turned 30. So in a fit of ambitiousness I decided to set myself the challenge of photographing 30 different wildlife events…

One Comment

  1. Well said about the seals. I was watching some videos about the seals on Youtube and in some of them the camera person was just approaching and sending them all scurrying into the sea.

Leave a Reply