The last week was spent in Norfolk with our grandson. Birding was limited with days out tailored more to the little one with a trip to Hunstanton Sea life Aquarium his highlight. Watching the lights get turned on at Holt was an unexpected high point too. On the birding front I managed to to connect […]
Tag: Grey Seal
POLL: Should Canada ban the hunting of seals?
Not long after European settlers established a commercial seal industry in Canada in the early 1500s, business was booming. Back in the day, seal oil was sold in the Old World for use as a machine lubricant. And later, demand for newly in-vogue fur meant that hundreds of thousands of harp seals were killed each […]
Finding Waxwings in Norfolk
This week has seen a mini influx of Waxwings in Norfolk so with a rare day off work I picked up the Jims and headed north. We arrived at the Coastguards hut Cley for first light and I quickly picked out a single Little Auk flying West close into the shore line and managed to […]
Grey seals identified as killers behind mystery harbour porpoise deaths
Seals have been identified as the killers behind the mystery of dead porpoises found with distinct mutilations on Dutch beaches over the past decade. The cause of large numbers of harbour porpoises washing up on the Netherlands coast was previously unknown and contested, but an eight year-long study concludes that grey seals have “learned a […]
Is European wildlife making a comeback? Recent success stories with top images
Beaver, bison and eagles are among the species that have made a successful comeback in Europe in the past 50 years, according to a major survey published by a coalition of conservation groups on Thursday. The report selected 37 species that have showed signs of recovery, studied changes in their numbers and range since 1960, […]
More than 700 seals counted in Thames Estuary
More than 700 seals have been spotted in the Thames Estuary in the first ever count carried out by air, land and water. Conservationists and volunteers recorded 708 grey and harbour seals along the Thames in a survey stretching up the estuary to Tilbury, the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) said. The survey involved recording […]
Sea-Kayaking with Wildlife around the Fastnet Rock
Conditions were ideal for sea-kayaking and wildlife photography on the west coast of Ireland early this morning – flat sea, not a breath of wind and sun burning off the early morning mist. Departing at 06:00 am from Schull Harbour in West Cork, Joff, Hugh and Nick kayaked 7 miles to the Fastnet Rock. Following […]
Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus)
The Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus meaning “hooked-nosed sea pig”) is found on both shores of the North Atlantic Ocean. It is a large seal of the family Phocidae or “true seals”.
