Saturday, 4 February 2012

Seal Of Approval

Left home with Neil Tew thjs morning and the outside temperature reading – 5°C for Sandwich to rendezvous with Jon Bramley and Jason Armstrong to travel the river Stour and hopefully see some seals. We were the only 4 souls on the boat apart from Colin the captain who kept up an interesting running commentary of the history of the waterway and was a capable wildlife observer. Needless to say it was bloomin cold even though there was very little breeze, thankfully!

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To be honest we were not expecting to see many seals hauled out on the usual sandbar as the temperature of the water was warmer than the land but as we neared the spot a group of 22 common seals came into view giving cracking views and a great photographic opportunity. Unfortunately for me at the critical moment I had to attend a voice conference for work and handed my camera to Jason who managed to grab these great shots. Jason is the person missing from the above photo.

If you are interested in going on a trip then please visit http://www.sandwichriverbus.co.uk/

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Smiley faces.

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Sausages.

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Typical dog like face of the common seal, sometimes also called the harbour seal.

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Great bannana posture almost reminiscent of Blyth’s Reed Warbler for those in the know.

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This seal was probably a visitor from Essex where some of the haulouts have iron deposits laying on the surface which are picked up on the pelt giving this lovely tan colour.

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1 comment:

Marianne said...

Beautiful photos, worth getting cold for I reckon!