We are just a few minutes drive from the National Nature Reserve at Donna Nook, home to a breeding colony of Grey Seals, Halichoerus grypus. There are wide mud flats backed by sand dunes where, from late October till early January, hundreds of seals have their pups.
The number of grey seals breeding on the beach at Donna Nook has gradually been rising over the last decade with the 2005 season seeing over a thousand pups. Although there are even bigger colonies on the Farne Islands and off the Scottish coasts there is probably nowhere else where the seal pups can be viewed from such close quarters after just a few yards walk from the car park! This is nature watching made seriously easy. The first seals are born at the end of October, with maximum numbers to be seen from late November through December. The pups spend about six weeks on shore. Outside the breeding season it is not unusual to see a few seals resting near the water's edge or swimming just off shore.
18th July 2002. Donna Nook was officially opened as a National Nature Reserve, the first on land (well, mostly mud) used by the Ministry of Defence.
A Fresh One (click to enlarge)
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, who manage the reserve, maintain a small wooden fence which keeps the seals off the footpath but allow you to get right up close to the pups. Unfortunately December at the seaside can be a little bracing so what you really want is to be staying at Tithe Farm Bed & Breakfast, to which you can return for a cup of something hot after a couple of hours on the beach.
More Seal info:
Sea Mammal Research Unit Gatty Marine Laboratory, University of St Andrews
Marine Mammal Stranding Center
©Biff Vernon 2001, 2006