26th of November: Boardwalkers won't be bored walkers

Today we were visited by Zoe Frank from the Yorkshire Coast, where there is a small Grey Seal colony at Ravenscar, which she manages. She had come to see how we monitor the seals at Blakeney during the pupping season and so we undertook a count together.

There are now several moulting pups...

With the prime pupping areas on the beach fully occupied, some seals have moved into the dunes to give birth. Whilst we try to fence off as much of the colony as possible, we ask walkers to be aware that seals don't respect our fence-lines. This morning, there was a birth on the boardwalk, so we urge visitors to give mother and pup a wide berth.

The mothers are protective and become distressed if people go too close to their pups or linger nearby. Please remember seals are also dangerous and have sharp teeth. We would like to thank visitors for their understanding and cooperation.

Today's count totalled an impressive 1,553 pups.

It's not just seal pups that we have a good number of. This week we counted 54 Grey Partridges in the dunes. It is encouraging to see this bird species, which has declined dramatically in recent times, doing well on Blakeney Point.

- Ajay, Ranger