River Great Ouse, July 2021

Candi Hopkinson has posted some fantastic photographs of Common Seals recently - no, not from the Norfolk Coast but here, right in the Great Ouse Valley. They caught our attention on a Facebook page and she has kindly agreed for us to show a couple here and to describe her encounter. Thanks Candi.

Walking the dogs along a public footpath near the river the other day a head popped up over the grasses. It was a mum seal taking a look at us. I popped the dogs back on their leads and took a peek over the grass and saw the pup too.

Neither of them seemed in the slightest bit concerned that we were there. The pup rolled around on the grass stretching and lolloping around, and then went back to his mum for a nuzzle. It was lovely to see and a great opportunity to snap a few photos. I continued on my walk and was pleased to see they were still there when I returned.

Sightings of seals in our river this far inland are not that uncommon, and so keep an eye on the water and bank on your walks. If you are travelling by boat keep an eye on jetties as these are favourite hauling-out platforms. And if you are paddle boarding, don’t hang about – seals are getting the hang of joining you!

Common Seal 7I0A2671


Photographs by Candida Hopkinson