Seal-watching

The East Coast is known for its abundance of bird life, but one of the greatest wildlife encounters you’re likely to have here is with the local seals… take a boat trip to their favourite hang-outs for an up-close and personal adventure.

Common (or harbour) seals and grey seals both thrive on the East Coast, thanks in part to the fact that they are protected under the Conservation of Seals Act and are also classified as a Priority species.

It can be difficult to distinguish the two species when they’re in the water, but when they’re basking on the mud there are a few tell-tell signs to help. Common seals are smaller, have a shorter head and snout, a rounder face and V-shaped nostrils; they are often seen in a distinctive ‘banana’ position with their head and tail up. On our coastline, their fur often turns orange – the colour comes from the iron oxide in the mud that they ‘haul out’ onto; it’s harmless, but eye-catching.

Seals are strong, agile swimmers – some can reach speeds of up to 40mph – but on land they can look cumbersome. Common seal pups are born during the summer and the greys have their pups between November and January. Both species haul out in order to breed, digest their food and rest, so it’s vital that they are not disturbed while doing so – if you spot them, keep your distance. And always take your litter home with you after a day on or near the coast… every year there are reports of seals that are caught up in discarded plastic and netting.

Here’s where you’ll find them on the East Coast:

Blakeney Point National Nature Reserve

The largest seal colony in England can be found at the tip of the Blakeney Point shingle spit. Trips leave from Morston Quay and Blakeney Harbour, lasting about an hour. In the summer a trip might take two hours with a landing on the spit, and with the longer days there might be two sailings a day.

Wallasea Island, Essex

Sandwiched by the Rivers Crouch and Roach, this is a RSPB nature reserve with brilliant walking trails. The island is made of 740-hectare farmland, as well as salt marsh, mud flats, marshes and lagoons – the majority of the island became a wildlife habitat thanks to the relocation there of 4.5m tonnes of soil gathered from tunnelling for London's Crossrail project. Scheduled boat trips leave from Essex Marina, Wallasea Island and Burnham Town Quay.

Hamford Water, Essex

Take a seal-watching boat trip from Harwich to Hamford Water National Nature Reserve which is on the Walton Backwaters – author Arthur Ransome famously depicted the area in his 1930s book, ‘Secret Water’. In good weather you’ll likely see yachts and motorboats at anchor here, their crews paddling kayaks or dinghies along the creeks where the seals rest.