The only pinnipeds I've seen (wild) are NZ fur seal, Hooker's sealion and leopard seal, and this is really different to any of them. (And the only other species I've seen in captivity is the Californian sealion).
Donna Nook is amazing. My current photography project is to get much better photos of the seals. This year the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust wardens are discouraging people from going out to the tideline because it disturbs the seals breeding there too much. I am glad that I decided to comply because I took better photos from the footpath, which is separated from the seals by a double fence.
I spent 2 days there and took 1550 photos D) and so I still have lots to process, including bulls displaying and fighting, bulls and cows squabbling and a full birth sequence - which may be rather too graphic to post here.
Yesterday's numbers from the Trust's website Lincolnshire Wildlife News are 253 bulls, 325 cows and 160 pups. Within the next three or four weeks numbers will increase rapidly - at least 1000 more pups are expected and as the first ones are weaned the cows will become ready to mate and there will be lots more fights between the bulls.
I can hardly wait to go back, provided the sun shines a bit: I think all my family may get cuddly seal toys from the Trust's shop for Xmas as I may not have time for ordinary Xmas shopping .
