Holy Moley

Seal in the grass

Morning!

Who's that mum?

Second coat pup heading to sea

Its a seal life...second coater enjoying life on the colonies

Such a big change in 3 weeks - a pup now in 2nd coat

Staple Island colony growing in size

Friday 16th November comments: The wind eased again (the week has been dominated by southerly winds) and we re-entered the seal colonies to continue our work. Its action packed now as young pups are still being born with plenty now reaching 'independence'.

Independence for a Seal pup comes just after 3 weeks of age, as they moult their white coat (and become affectionately known as 'moleys') and the mothers return to sea to fatten up after three weeks of lactation. It's an incredible breeding strategy, which works, as our population continues to grow steadily.

Following today's count, we now have an impressive 1,263 pups across the colonies, including our first born on the inner group. The Seal twins have now reached independence as their mother has gone, so we'll keep a close eye on the male twins as they venture into the big world of the North Sea. Good luck boys, good luck.