At the grey seal colony at Donna Nook, a Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust reserve. Counting was taking place today: 516 bulls, 1390 cows and 1201pups so far.
The females feed the pups for about two weeks, mate and then go back out to sea until next year. The abandoned pups make their way across the mudflats to the sea once they get fit (and hungry).
I've recently given my Christmas donation to the Cumbria Wildlife Trust and noticed that they have a live streaming webcam of their seal colony at Walney Island. Their pups are at much the same stage of development.
Idiot that I am, I went to look at the webcam yesterday evening...duh!!! Now just seen a new pup enjoying the rain. Thanks for the tip.