Mum and pup sleeping
Donna nook was one of the places I've heard about for a while but never visited until recently and was a incredible experience seeing grey seal pups with in metres of me (behind a fence)
Less then a day old male pup with umbilical cord
The grey seal mums feed their pups for 15 to 21 days with a rich milk that is 60% fat and the grey seal pups balloon out very quickly. After this weaning stage the grey seal mums leave their pups and the area. Grey seal pups leave too, as they must teach themselves to feed.
Sleeping Grey Seal Pup
Grey Seal pups have a white coat when born & for up to 3 weeks, then they moult into their adult coat.
One draw back for me is the huge numbers of people which made the viewing slightly less pleasant but on the whole was worth a visit for sure.
Life is hard for Grey Seal pups. About 30 to 50 percent of them die before their first birthday. Grey seal mums recognise their own pups calls and know exactly how their own pup smells.
Although typically diving to depths of up to 70 metres when feeding, grey seals can dive to depths of around 300 metres.
Image taken through the fence not on open dunes and no contact with the seal was made
Short video of a seal giving birth
BBC Wildlife Local Patch Reporter
Jack Perks@JackPerksPhoto
Facebook: Jack Perks Photography
Website: www.jackperksphotography.com
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