We have had some seal pups hauling out on the beaches at Wellmouth and Burnmouth Harbour (just after you come down the stone steps about half a mile along the coastal path from the village end). This will no doubt happen more often as the breeding season progresses. Grey seal pups are left to fend for themselves at 15-21 days old, their mothers going off to mate and to feed (they don't feed whilst suckling, and can lose half their body weight). The pups, which have tripled ...their weight from 15kg at birth to 45kg at weaning, have some reserves to keep them going, but they are not taught how to find prey, they have to work out how to do this themselves. After weaning they also moult their fluffy white coats. As you can imagine this is all pretty exhausting for the pups and so they spend a lot of time hauled out on beaches trying to conserve their energy. When you take into account that only 50% of pups will survive their first winter, it is really important that they are not put under any more stress than they already have to deal with.

Last weekend, I received a couple of phone calls from distressed individuals who had witnessed fellow visitors to the reserve going right up to seals hauled out on these beaches and taking selfies with the pups. Just imagine the effect this will have on the pups' stress levels. And/or it could result in the pups leaving those beaches altogether (they certainly have not been there since Monday). Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to man the site all the time to explain to people the effects that their behaviour could be having. We have put up signs, but people often ignore these. So please help us where you can - if you see people disturbing seals in this way, either on the reserve or elsewhere, please explain to the people disturbing them the effects their behaviour might have. Seals are protected under the Marine Scotland Act 2010, an it is against the law to knowingly disturb them. Also, point them in the direction of Petticowick beach, where there is all sorts of seal behaviour to watch - from a safe distance.


Here is our seal Code of Conduct for the reserve - please share far and wide. Let's all enjoy this wonderful wildlife spectacle - but in a responsible way!


Many thanks for your help. Liza.