PREVIEW

Remarkable footage captured by a solar-powered wildlife camera shows the moment a grey seal pup was born at Blakeney Point in Norfolk, the site of the UK’s largest grey seal colony, on Tuesday 26 November 2024.

The birth was live-streamed to viewers watching online, offering a rare and intimate glimpse into the lives of these marine mammals.

The black and grey patterned cow can be seen giving birth to the pup, before turning to look at the new arrival, as the pup makes its first movements in its new surroundings.

The National Trust worked with Wildlife Windows to install the camera on Blakeney Point, utilising their combined expertise in video technology and in-depth knowledge of wildlife ecology and conservation. The camera has been live for just a week and will continue live streaming until early January.

The sheer size of the grey seal colony means that access to Blakeney Point is restricted during pupping season – for both the safety of visitors and to prevent disturbance to the seals and their pups.


This is the first time that the National Trust has been able to continuously live-stream footage from one of its reserves sharing a glimpse into the day-to-day activity of the grey seal colony during pupping season.

Tracey Sizeland, Area Ranger, Norfolk Coast & Broads, comments: “Our live seal cam provides a real-time view of activity within the colony and is a chance to see the grey seals in their natural, undisturbed environment. The idea behind setting up the camera was to enable people to enjoy this amazing wildlife spectacle without causing disturbance to the seals.

“It is wonderful that so soon into this experiment with continuous streaming of a wildlife site, which is a first for the National Trust, that the camera has picked up a birth. It is a very special thing to see and one not many people would normally get the chance to witness.”

The newborn pup will suckle several times a day and, all being well, it will gain weight quickly thanks to the high fat content of seal milk.

At approximately 3-weeks-old, the cows leave the pups to fend for themselves. By this time they will have almost completely moulted and gained their darker, waterproof coat.
The pups survive from their fat reserves until they have developed the stamina and skills to catch fish and crustaceans.

Early indications are that record numbers of seal pups will be born on Blakeney Point this winter – likely to be well in excess of 5,000.