Beach births and mating games
FROM CORNWALL TO Shetland and around the east coast to Norfolk, autumn is a time of year when certain beaches become maternity wards for Britain’s largest pinnipeds. Having spent their summers out at sea fattening up on fish, female grey seals (known as cows) ‘haul out’ onto sand to give birth and nurse their young. Their adorable pups are easy to spot. It’s thought they evolved their fluffy yellow-white coats when grey seals gave birth on snow and ice. The pups spend several weeks on dry land before they are ready to take the plunge. Weaned on their mothers’ high-fat milk, they triple their body weight in under a month, during which time they begin to moult. Abandoning their offspring to grow sea-going fur, the mums form broody harems to begin the grey seal life cycle all over again. Hot-blooded males are already on the scene, having staked out their territories, sometimes battling it out for topbull status. Grey seals are easily disturbed and on edge during the pupping season; so keep your distance if you encounter them. Better still, take a good pair of binoculars.
WALK HERE: Download seal-spotting walk guides for Pembrokeshire, Berwickshire, Northumberland and Norfolk at walk1000miles.com/bonusroutes