Wildlife
- 17 December 2011 18:05142829Good to see that the seal is back again this year - someone had definately had all the pies !!
A cormorant and guilemot also hanging around to catch the scraps thrown back in by the fishermen
Been nice knowing you :) - 17 December 2011 18:10142830Crikey Paul...great pictures! You're on the ball. I take it thats Wellingdon Dock again. Just great that this amazing wildlife can be seen right in the heart of Dover...
I can see who's had all the pies alright. He looks a different type of seal...Im no expert though...
Well done Paul
email: dover7@msn.com - 17 December 2011 18:15142833He was hanging around 1/2 way down the Prince of Wales Pier this timeBeen nice knowing you :)
- 17 December 2011 18:20142836The pickings must be good down there and in the English Channel generally...he looks very well nourished. All the more tricky getting the pix down there on the pier so a well done again Paul.
email: dover7@msn.com - 17 December 2011 18:26142838great stuff paul, will pop down tomorrow and see if he is still there.
won't bother throwing any salad to him, doesn't look the type. - 17 December 2011 18:33142840The fishermen love him
Audere est facere. - Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,931
17 December 2011 19:11142859I think he is a common seal rather than a grey seal and a very well fed one by the look of it.-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
------------------------------------------------------------------- - 17 December 2011 21:58142917Awww he's adorable
. Great photos Paul. - 18 December 2011 09:38142952I see them again today and I like them even more...Paul I will be getting on to you re the frontpage.
email: dover7@msn.com - 18 December 2011 10:43142960Great pics indeed there Paul.
Common seals
Common seals, sometimes called 'harbour seals', are widely distributed across the northern parts of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Coat colour and pattern vary considerably between different regions. Common seals around Scotland have attractive coats, mottled with spots and rings, and can be anything between dark brown to pale grey-white. Their backs are often darker than their stomachs and chests. Males average about 1.5 metres (4.9 feet) in length, while females are slightly smaller, and average 1.4 metres (4.6 feet). Their scientific name - Phoca vitulina - means 'seal calf'. There are five races of common seal and the UK supports 40 per cent of the European race Phoca vitulina vitulina - equivalent of 5 per cent of the world population.
From...
http://www.snh.org.uk/publications/on-line/naturallyscottish/seals/identification.aspIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing. - 18 December 2011 12:29142982Ive put Pauls blindin' pics on the frontpage now...
and thanks to Jan for steering us in the direction of the common seal and for Tom with the details. have put Toms info on the frontpage also.
have also added the latest story on the WCCP and the WHPS guys clean ups. Thanks to Paul Sampson and Melanie Wrigley for the info. Is that Phil Eyden there chopping away.. ??email: dover7@msn.com - 18 December 2011 14:43143030It was great to turn on the computer this morning and be met with Scotchie's pix of the beautiful, cute seal, thank you Scotchie
Good idea putting them on front page PaulB, aren't we so lucky!!!
Ah! yes I think it is our Phil too, manly grappling with the tree in the foreground They do a splendid job and what lovely views from up there - 18 December 2011 15:18143037Oh what great pictures Scotchie you always come up trumps with that camera of yours, they are a pleasure to look at and as said pride of place on the front page as well.
- 18 December 2011 18:16143075Thanks all
Yes that is Phil on the front page too - I was lucky to be hiding away :)Been nice knowing you :) - Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,948
18 December 2011 23:00143147some lovely picturesALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 19 December 2011 11:18143229I always enjoy spotting seals in the harbour. My favourite place is the basin inside the spur jetty on the Admiralty Pier (where the Jetfoil Terminal used to be) and sometimes they curl around the "dragon's teeth" there for a quick snooze.
One particular day was priceless. The seal was obviously in a playful mood and decided to taunt the gulls by surfacing with a large fish in his mouth and wagging it around. This was too much for the gulls and as they swooped down the seal quickly submerged only to re-surface about a minute later, and some distance away, to repeat the process. After quite a long session of this the gulls gave up and the seal enjoyed his lunch. Even though this was better seen on video I managed some good pictures but unfortunately lost most of them in a system crash. A couple survived and here's one of the seal with his fish and an expression that seems to say, "that fooled 'em"
A few more of various birds.
Canada Goose
Brent Goose
Great Crested Grebe
I'm still waiting for a decent shot of a Kingfisher, but as they are notoriously shy I may have a long wait.
Guillemot
Cormorant In a characteristic pose (yes, you are very handsome!) - 19 December 2011 11:23143234great stuff john, thanks for putting them on here.
- 19 December 2011 11:27143236What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing. - 19 December 2011 11:29143237This bit dropped off.
Leisure: by Welsh poet William Henry Davies,Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing. - 19 December 2011 13:27143246Jealous of the kingfisher one, spent ages last year seeing one flitting around near the lifeboat station, but didn't stay still long enough anywhere
Been nice knowing you :)
