'Second coat' pup ready for life as a Grey Seal around the Farne Islands
No go: Mother and Pup blocking our pathwayIts another day on Brownsman and the invasion continues. Late last night I decided to check for any 'northern lights action' and opened the front door, only to be greeted by a 'second coat' youngster, sleeping against the door frame. I'm not sure who jumped the most, but I did chuckle to myself, as this really is their island at this time of year. I managed to leap the sleeping pup and realised I wasn't alone. Brownsman is becoming an interesting place to live and we can't even walk outside the front door without bumping into a Seal or two (actually make that four or five). When we do eventually leave the island in early December, its going to be a challenge carrying our belongings down to the jetty!
Sadly our engine problems continued and the count had to be put on hold for another day. Thankfully the weather allowed me to escape to the 'engine hospital' on the mainland (also known as a boat repair yard) for important running repairs and we should be back in action from tomorrow (fingers crossed). The seal count will be huge this time, and we should top the 800 mark for the number of pups born. I'll also add some photos of Nemo and Lucky, because blimey, they have changed.
Otherwise its all quiet on the islands. The only seabirds which remain around the rocky shores are the Shags, whilst everything else departs for far flung wintering grounds and in some cases as far as the Southern Hemisphere. The last of the migrant birds moved through the islands but our attention is back on the Seals, as role on tomorrow, its count day...
2 comments:
Goodness me I dont think I would like to come up against those Mums with their babies , fearsome and protective . Northern Lights - I was lucky enough to go to Iceland once and I seem to remember seeing the Northern Lights , it was a long time ago , I remember puffins . Hope your trip to the 'engine hospital' was okay and that tomorrow you can get on with things , sounds like you will be busy . Looking forward to seeing pics of Nemo and Lucky and maybe Archie . Gordon will be pleased to know they have made it .
Take care all and thanks David for naming the islands for me very interesting , I will get there next year and see them for myself . Best wishes Valerie
800 is a fantastic number of pups, I hope you can get going with the count now the engine is fixed. I would also not like to be faced with a defensive seal mum every time I opened the door!
Are you happy or sad at the prospect of leaving Brownsman in a short while? I hope the weekend's forecast doesn't cause problems.
Jan
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