Last week we finally made a trip to the coast to see the grey seals that have been born at the nature reserve at Donna Nook. I had been meaning to go for several weeks, but every time we’d had a free day the weather had not been on our side! However that Friday was cold but bright, so we wrapped up in lots of layers and headed off.
The sandbanks that comprise part of the Donna Nook Nature Reserve are part of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. The Trust manages an increasing amont of land across the county, from salt marshes to meadows.
The Ministry of Defense still uses part of the area as a bombing range, but this doesn’t seem to have deterred the seals whose numbers are increasing year on year. This is the perfect breeding ground for them, with everything they need, so why go anywhere else?
The site has become increasingly popular in recent years, and huge numbers of people now flock to see the seals and their offspring. The first seal pup was born this year on the 25th of October, and numbers increased from there with the last week of November boasting greatest number of births and helping towards this years total of 1849 pups.
There were some serious photographers out with some impressive looking equipment as well as a large number of families out for a walk to see the seals. There is a double fence in place to protect the seals, as otherwise they may come into contact with people which may mean their mother abandons them, not to mention that even baby seals have quite a bite if touched! Behind the safety of the fence, you can still stand incredibly close to these amazingly charismatic creatures
Alice was delighted, and proclaimed “Aww, baby seal!” at every seal we saw. She also had just as much fun running around on the dunes and jumping in puddles.
While we were there, we signed up as members of the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust. It feels good to know that we are, in a small way, contributing to the fantastic work being done to preserve beautiful and diverse habitats and species for furture generations. I want the outdoors to always be a part of Alices life, and for her to have the opportunity to see the same things we have. As memebers you get a magazine several times a year to keep you up to date with what the Trust is doing.
You can find out more about the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust here, or the national network of sites and projects across the country here.
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