The Grey Seal.
Earlier this week I went to look at one of the largest Grey Seal colonies on the East Coast, in Lincolnshire. What greeted me took me by complete surprise. The first thing you notice as you step out of your car in the parking area is the noise of the seals, then as you walk the short distance to the viewing area, as you go over the brow of the dunes, you see before you a sand bank strewn with hundreds of bodies. As most of the seals are just lying there, you might just compare it to one of the war torn beaches of the aftermath of Dunkirk. I have like many Midlanders have holidayed at Mablethorpe and Skegness and I have seen seals just off shore when the tide is in but I was completely taken back by the sight before me.
The colony started to take up residence here in the late seventy's, at first they numbered only a hundred or so but now they number in excess of 3,000. They are there all year round but it is only from October through to early December that they invade the sand banks to give birth to their young and come so close that you could reach out to touch them ( touching them is not allowed ) but the opportunity to take close up photos with your camera is a must.
The Grey Seal population here is one of the largest to be found in the U.K. the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust have seal monitors to look after them and make sure that they are not disturbed but with the thousands of visitors that come from all over the U.K. and from Europe and I spoke with a couple of Americans, I don't think the seals are bothered.
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| A Large Bull Seal. |
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| Give Us A Hug. |
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| Heading Back Out To The Sea. |
The Latin name for the Grey Seal is Halichoerus grypus which means "Hooked - nosed sea pig" they are a large animal, the Bulls can reach 8ft - 10ft 8'' long and weigh as much as 370lb to 680lb, the Cows are much smaller reaching only 5ft - 6ft 6'' long and only 220lb to 420lb in weight. The seals feed on a variety of fish but are attracted to this part of the coast because of the large numbers of Salmon and Sea Trout that are trying to make it to the Humber Estuary to breed in the upper reaches of the Rivers Dove, Derwent and the Trent.
The pups when born are covered in a white dense, soft and silky fur and they rapidly fatten up on their mothers extremely fat-rich milk. Within a month they have tripled in size, putting on large amounts of fat to live on as they have to fend for themselves, as the mothers return back to sea to mate with the Bulls. The pups remain on the beach living on these fat reserves for another four or five weeks before making their way to the sea to join the rest of the colony.
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| Pup Covered In White Silky Fur. |
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| Pup With Mother. |
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| Who Loves You Baby. |
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| A Burton Albion Supporter. |
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| Having A Sing Song. |
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| I Wanna Get Out Of This Place. |
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| The Colony. |
Latest News.
Since visiting the colony, the high tides created by the bad weather on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, dispersed the colony. The seal wardens cut down the fencing to allow the young pups and their mothers access on to the dunes, this action saved many of the young pups from a disaster but the wardens say that there are at least fifty or sixty unaccounted for. It is hoped that they were able to take refuge in the dunes and that they will be found safe. Pups have been found on the beaches around Mablethorpe and Skegness where they have been taken to the Seal Rescue Centres, these could have come from any of the smaller colonies found on the East Coast.
