First pup born at England’s largest grey seal colony on Blakeney Point

First pup born at England’s largest grey seal colony on Blakeney Point - National Trust

One of Norfolk’s annual winter wildlife spectacles is underway with the first grey seal pup spotted at Blakeney National Nature Reserve, cared for by the National Trust, on the north Norfolk coastline, two weeks earlier than last year.

The very first seal pup was born at the point in 1988. Since then, the site has grown to become England’s largest grey seal colony, with seal pup numbers increasing from just 25 pups in 2001 to 3,012 in 2019.

This success is believed to be due to low levels of disturbance and mortality during the first few key weeks of life and a lack of natural predators.  

This year, National Trust rangers are anticipating around 4,500 new arrivals at Blakeney Point. Global numbers are estimated to be around 400,000 with British and Irish waters supporting about 35 per cent of the grey seal population.

Duncan Halpin, Ranger for the National Trust on the North Norfolk Coast said: “The colony at Blakeney has now become so large that it is almost impossible to record the number of pups precisely. Until a few years ago, the pups were counted individually by rangers and volunteers walking carefully through the colony, but from 2019, numbers of new-borns and weaned pups - which will have moulted their white fur but will be much smaller than the adults - were recorded in just one specific area to give an indication of the overall size of the colony. The first pup of the season, is always a special moment in our year.”

Female grey seals typically live to around 35 years old. They have their first pup at about 3 -5 years old. Once they’ve had their first pups, they return to the same place each year to give birth.