Seal Pups

This morning I set out early to go to see the seal pups. I normally go the last week of Nov, but the weather was so cold, then gales, so I delayed it this year. Today it was forecast to be dry this morning and 7C, but it rained on my drive over and the drive back. I was quite shocked at the standing water on the roads and in the fields. Fortunately it was dry for the 45 mins that I was there. A shorter visit this year as there were far fewer pups to see than normal. Also, the sea was a bit rough and closer up the beach, so the seals and their pups were closer to the steep dunes and difficult to see from the path on top of them.  That is until I got further down what is normally the one way path system and a few pups had made their way up to the path and the dunes the other side of the ropes keeping you on the path. You have to keep as much distance as possible from the pups, not easy when they're either side of you at one point, so I was a couple of metres from two at one point. Obviously I hurried by, pausing very briefly for a photo. Then I got to the exit bit, and it was roped off due to more pups and mothers. so I had to turn round and go back. There looked to be far more seals and pups further along the beach where the dunes are shallower, but that's roped off obviously as they explore more. I only saw two other people visiting, which is so unusual. I've added a collage of other pup photos

When I got back to the car park the volunteers were arriving. I had a quick chat with someone who turned out to be the warden. This is extremely sad news, but the storms and extra high tides a couple of weeks ago meant that at this part of the coast with steeper dunes, the seal pups hadn't been able to get to safety. He told me that in this area they'd lost a large number of seal pups. I was so upset, how awful is that and how devastated the volunteers must have been. I obviously wouldn't have visited if I'd heard that news. The seals at the beaches either side could take their pups up the shallower dunes and were ok thankfully.