50th: Lincolnshire

This reserve was all about the grey seals. They visit our coastline every November and December to have their pups and are an absolute joy to witness. Again we were struck by biting winds but they had no impact on the wonder and joy we were feeling while we were there. Although the dawn sun was incredibly beautiful, the cold certainly impacted on how long we could spend there. I’m not going to lie, if we’d stayed out as long as I would’ve wanted to, it would’ve taken hours for us to warm up and might never have actually managed it.

Not only did we encounter truly fantastic grey seals, but there were also a truly fantastic volunteer, who taught us many amazing facts about those seals.

They were the best kind of facts, you know the type, the ones that are actually difficult to believe, like the fact that the seal pups put on 2kg in weight everyday! Seal milk has 10 times more fat content than cows milk, which explains the weight gain I guess. The milk is so rich the pups are ready to leave the coast and fend for themselves in open waters within about 6 weeks. Just think of what you were capable of 6 weeks after birth.

It was all fantastic and undoubtedly one of the highlights of the whole project.