Birth and death amongst the seal colony.

Been silent for a few days cause Ian's been away to Stafford to help Alan and Carol (honeymooners) to sort out their engine and wiring problems. With no man around to help sort out my latest problem (new internet 4g dongle has a problem with the lead running from the aerial to the unit) I was unable to access the web. With Ian back and sorting out the problem (a dodgy fitting) I'm back on track again.

 So the highlight of this week was a trip to Donna Nook Natural Nature Reserve to see the seals. Dennis and Margaret (nb Icing) live in Sleaford and a 90 minute drive away. Having watched the seals on the Isle of Man at some considerable distance away, Margaret suggested that if we wanted to get close up and personal they would take us to the Reserve. It was just a question of watching the weather and chosing the right day. Sure enough with clear blue skies and only a slight chill in the air we first drove to Sleaford and then onto Donna Nook on the North Eastern coast of Lincolnshire. Oh wow...... The place didn't disappoint. Was I in my element or what!!!
It was fantastic. We watched the bulls fighting, cows and bulls mating, pups suckling and only just missed a birth. There was the unfortunate demis of some of the pups due to a problem with their innards as well as a few getting in the way of the fighting bulls. Apparently after several days the pups suddenly just keel over and die. Sending their bodies for autopsy it was revealed that on most of them the guts had constricted and nothing the wardens could have done would have saved them. So the pup bodies were left in the open for all of us to see. The wardens told us it was much to dangerous to go amongst the colony to fetch them out. So it was left to the gulls, foxes and other predators to dispose of them. Shame really but such is the way of the wild and although distressing to see,  it is all part of nature. Now for the photos. Again I have to many to post here so I'm going to do a series of post on my Wildlife blog.

Well it seems I'm a bit of an adventurer!

Answer after the last photo

I'm watching you!

Just missed the birth. Afterbirth was still visible on tbe ground until it was pinched

A BIT of privacy PLEASE

Make sure no ones watching.

 And the sad part of nature,

Didn't survive the birth and mum abandoned the pup

Typical death due to a twisted gut as previous autopsy's revealed.

And now to the answer,