View allAll Photos Tagged DonnaNook
A Grey seal having a large yawn; this photograph was taken at the Donna Nook reserve in Lincolnshire
This will be my last post for 2015 see you all next year and however you spend it enjoy New Years Eve
THANKS FOR YOUR VISIT AND FOR TAKING THE TIME TO WRITE A COMMENT IT’S MUCH APPRECIATED.
IF YOU WANT TO FOLLOW MY STREAM I SUGGEST YOU OUGHT TO READ MY PROFILE FIRST
Taken at Donna Nook National Nature Reserve last November.
A cold, dull day gave an exposure time longer than I would wish.
A visit to the annual seal spectacle at Donna Nook doesn't just provide great photo opportunities of the seals but also a nice variety of birdlife. Here a smart looking Little Heron is seen having just taken flight for some reason. It would land just fifty yards away adjacent to yet another pool and continue its search for food.
Looking as though it is planning something untoward I was glad that I was using a long lens.
The shot of this grey seal bull was taken at Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast.
The not so cute side of Donna Nooks wildlife feast. sadly the skua failed to reappear this year, but the juvenile gulls enjoyed the banquet.
Great Black-backed gull - Larus Marinus
Donna Nook Nature Reserve
As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.
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An individual at the Grey Seal Colony at Donna Nook, Lincolnshire.
Donna Nook covers more than 10km (6.25 miles) of coastline between Grainthorpe Haven in the north and Saltfleet in the south where it borders the Saltfleetby-Theddlethorpe National Nature Reserve. Every November and December, grey seals come to the Donna Nook coastline to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes; a wildlife spectacle which attracts visitors from across the UK.
24/11/2023
Weekly pupdate: 1607 pups, 1568 cows and 404 bulls.
The first pups have been seen leaving the dunes and heading out to sea.
A first ever trip to Donna Nook yesterday. Busy, controlled (?) etc however a great experience that allows us humans the chance to get close to grey seals as they join the world. There were some truly fresh youngsters on view - an hour or so old maybe and plenty at all sorts of other stages of development.
The, necessary, fences made for some challenging photography as did the endless moving shadows being cast by the numbers of visitors making their way along the beach. However by being relatively tall, standing back from the path and using the slope I was able to get some reasonable perspectives on some of the youngsters enjoying the early winter sun.
Press L at least.
Grey Seal Pup and Cow - Halichoerus Grypus
Donna Nook Nature Reserve
As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.
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She weighs a massive 155 kg an absolute brute of an animal. He comes in at an enormous 233 kg. To put it into context we average 62 kg.
Grey Seal Adult Male and Female - Halichoerus Grypus
Donna Nook Nature Reserve
As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.
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Halichoerus grypus
Donna Nook, Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust managed site.
Today's numbers as reported by Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust
1607 pups, 1568 cows and 404 bulls (24/11/2023)
The pups are born at around 14 kg. They are born in autumn (October to November) with a dense, soft silky white fur; at first small, they rapidly fatten up on their mothers' extremely fat-rich milk. The milk can consist of up to 60% fat. Within a month or so they shed the pup fur, grow dense waterproof adult fur, and leave for the sea to learn to fish for themselves
Having missed out last year a visit back here was an absolute must.
As ever a visit to Donna Nook was simply amazing
Grey Seal Pup - Halichoerus Grypus
Donna Nook Nature Reserve
As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.
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The Grey Seal mothers are very gentle with their own pups - but don't tolerate any neighbours (mums or pups) that get too close. A fight broke out between these two (and blood was drawn) when one got too close to the other's pup.
Occasionally a pup gets caught in the middle of this - we saw one injured pup which we were told had been caught in such a fight - it was quite upsetting, as the noise it made sounded almost like a babies cry - but there is nothing anyone could do. It really is nature in the raw.
Another shot below.
For the last five or six years we have made a visit to the Grey Seal breeding ground at donna Nook. This year we have simply run out of time. We have now missed the peak numbers for the season and are unlikely to be able to make it down to the Lincolnshire coast before the majority head back out into the North Sea. As a result, here is one from last year when we dropped on a glorious day.
Grey Seal Cow & Pup - Halichoerus Grypus
Donna Nook Nature Reserve
As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.
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This is one cutie pie that doesnt have to work at new year's resolutions.... He will need that milk and blubber to cope with the cold, unforgiving North sea which he is due to experience for the first time imminently..
Stay warm and safe, my photogenic sweetie.
Often regarded as drab birds a pair of colourful Starlings are seen in flight at Donna Nook.
Fingers crossed we will be heading down there again in a months time.
Grey Seal Pup - Halichoerus Grypus
Donna Nook Nature Reserve
As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.
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Explore! January 8, 2025
Another very obliging little grey seal pup from my visit to Donna Nook last year.
An update on my hand (thank you for your good wishes) - thankfully I don't need the broken bone pinned. It's going to be out of action for a few weeks though and I'm discovering just how uncoordinated I am with my left hand.
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From the 2016 November birthing season at Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast.
Every November and December, grey seals come to the Donna Nook coastline to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes.
1,957 pups were born in the 2016 season.Last season, 2018, 2,066.
The Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust manage this National Nature reserve.
As the females, the cows, head back to sea they mate with the bulls, however gestation does not start until the spring.
I don't know whether this seal has an eye infection, is winking at me or I just pressed the shutter at the wrong time. Regardless it doesn't quite look right. It also has a lovely golden coat which isn't really in keeping with the name of the species.
For the last few years we have made annual trips to the breeding grounds at Donna Nook,. but for some reason simply ran out of time this last winter. Here's an image from the previous year.
With climate change becoming ever more serious the wonders of nature may soon be short lived. The Grey Seals at Donna Nook are for now a great success story.
These two shots show two of the pups enjoying their first taste of life.
Grey Seal Pup - Halichoerus Grypus
Donna Nook Nature Reserve
As always I extend my sincere appreciation to all those who take the time to stop by and comment on my photos.
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