Webcam installed to livestream grey seal pup births

A webcam has been set up to capture the births of pups from England's largest grey seal colony, allowing people to watch the pupping season.

The solar-powered camera was trialled last year and has been discreetly installed in sand dunes at Blakeney Point in Norfolk to livestream until early January, when the last pups were expected to be born.

Due to the size of the colony, Edward Stubbings, National Trust's area manager for Blakeney Point, said the only responsible ways to witness the "spectacular wildlife event" was by taking boat trips from Morston Quay or via the webcam.

"We're really proud to look after the largest seal colony in England," he said.

The number of seal pups born there rose to 8,946 in 2023.

However, the organisation said that due to the size of the colony, it was no longer able to count the pups manually, and numbers were now recorded by an aerial survey.

Dr Debbie Russell, deputy director of the sea mammal research unit at the University of St Andrews, said more than 10% of grey seal pups born in the UK were at Blakeney.

A cordon was put in place during pupping season to prevent disturbance to the seals, and dogs are not allowed on the point.

Mr Stubbings said the area is an "incredible sight" during pupping season with seals filling the beach "as far as the eye can see".

He said some of the highlights from the webcam trial last year included a live seal birth and bulls vying for dominance for the chance to mate with females.

"The growth in numbers is, in part, down to Blakeney Point offering a vast expertise of gently sloping beach, which makes it an easy place for the seals to haul out," he explained.

"And the colony undoubtedly benefits from the point's remoteness and the lack of disturbance from people and dogs."

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