Grey seal pupping
Grey seal (Halichoerus grypus). East coast (Nov–Dec), Wales & Cornwall (Sept–Oct), United Kingdom.
Best time: 10 Nov – 15 Dec and 10 Sep – 20 Oct (September to December). Where: Donna Nook NNR, Lincolnshire, Horsey Gap, Norfolk, Blakeney Point, Norfolk (United Kingdom). Time of day: Cows and pups call at any hour.
- You can go on your own
- Low cost
- No binoculars needed
- Sound 4/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
- Peak 1: 10 Nov – 15 Dec — Mid November to mid December: east coast (Donna Nook, Blakeney, Farnes)
- Peak 2: 10 Sep – 20 Oct — Mid September to October: Wales, Cornwall and Scilly — the earliest UK pups
Active from 20 Aug to 15 Jan (August to January) in a typical year.
Time of day
Cows and pups call at any hour; weekday first light to 09:00 avoids crowds, and the colony is most vocal at low tide when more animals are hauled out. Check the Donna Nook range timetable.
- Quiet morning: sunrise → 09:00
- Late afternoon: 2 h before sunset → sunset
Depends on the tide: best around low tide. Check local tide tables.
What will you hear?
Eerie wailing 'singing' of cows, bawling pups and bull snarls, with the surf.
Binoculars?
No binoculars needed. Pups next to the fence at Donna Nook and Horsey; binoculars only for Blakeney and Ramsey from the mainland.
Where to go
- Donna Nook NNR, Lincolnshire — Pups next to the fence; very busy at weekends. RAF bombing range next door operates on weekdays — check range times. Map
- Horsey Gap, Norfolk — Wardened viewing areas; keep to them. The beach itself is closed during pupping. Map
- Blakeney Point, Norfolk — England's largest colony — boat trips from Morston view from the water. Map
- Ramsey Island, Pembrokeshire (RSPB) — Pupping from late Aug; access by boat from St Davids, island closes in the pupping season — record from the mainland coast path or the boat. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Donna Nook: free viewing area along the dune fence, dawn to dusk in the season; main car park £5 (Nov–Dec), Stonebridge car park free. Horsey Gap: pay-and-display car park, wardened viewing areas on the dunes, free. Blakeney Point: walk from Cley beach along the shingle (long, and closed near the colony in the pupping season) or take a seal boat from Morston. Ramsey: view from the Pembrokeshire Coast Path on the mainland (St Justinian's) — free.
Cost: Donna Nook car park £5 per car (Nov–Dec 2026), viewing free; Horsey Gap car park charge (check); Morston seal boat trips about £20 adult (2026).
Field-recording notes
Keep your distance — spooked cows can abandon pups. Weekday mornings avoid the crowds, but at Donna Nook check the RAF range timetable. Surf is constant; a parabolic or long shotgun from the viewing line isolates individual pups.
Sources
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More: all spectacles in the United Kingdom · seals · whales, dolphins and seals · the United Kingdom in September · the United Kingdom in October · the United Kingdom in November · the United Kingdom in December