We spent a brilliant (if somewhat chilly) day out in the raw beauty of the Norfolk coastline, followed by a cosy lunch, and some behind-the-scenes access - with some "punny" wildlife encounters.
After being notified the day before that the winds may have been too high for us to have gone on the boat, the winds subsided and the tide at sail time was low enough for the bay to cover us.
With water and air temperature at around 8c we started the day up at Blakeney point, where Bishops Boats took us out to see the resident Atlantic grey seal colony. The first pup there was born in 1988 - this winter they saw an estimated 9,000 born, with generations returning to have their own pups there. After seeing a couple of loner pups closer in land, we went out further along the point and saw a herd basking in the sun.
After a few passbys and 'Ahoys" to fellow visitor boats on some slightly choppy waters, we came back in land. We stopped at the Anchor Inn for a quick and cosy lunch. We then set land sail to East Winch RSPCA, where we were lucky enough to get a sneak preview some of the behind-the-scenes action at this wildlife centre that regularly rehabilitates both grey and common seals amongst its 3,000 visitors per year. They have isolation bays for the weaker pups, communal twin bunks for healthier pups, and larger outdoor pools where they house pup groups before release. As divers we thought that the boat trip would be the highlight, but I think we can all agree that meeting the seals here was what we will talk about the most.
In the outside pools the seals popped heads up and even came on land to inspect us, we thought they were saying "hello" but were quickly informed they had mistaken us for the "fish delivery service". When they realised we had no goods, they took back to hiding in the water.
The centre names its seals under a different theme each year, this year's theme was "things that are bad for you", and as you can imagine there were quite a few interesting choices in the indoor twin bunks. We discussed the beauty of "Nihilism" along with whether "Covid" and "Propaganda" should really go together... one star seal was rather vocal and lived up to the name "Chesty Cough", although with the noises he was making, he sounded more like he was arguing!
The centre also tags the seals with yellow and red tags, and they have been spotted as far away as Germany. If you see a seal with a yellow or red tag, RSPCA East Winch would be keen to know!
Lastly, we saw some of the other more common visitors to the centre, including some very hungry Cuckoo chicks and an exhausted hedgehog. Yes they are looking for volunteers for those interested, and for spare towels should any of you decide to go...
All in all, this was a wonderful day out, and a great way to get up close to some seals, as well as learning more about them. A massive shout out to Joanne for organising, I am sure it will be a trip to be repeated!
