Friends of Horsey Seals Newslett er April 2014 Page 1

Newsletter

In this issue:• Spring is here!

• East Winch releases more rescued pups

• A new coat for spring

• A necklace no seal wants.

Volume 2 Issue 7 April/May 2014

Farewell to dark nights and grey days, it’s spring! The magical season of annual renewal, the return to light and colour that lift s the spirits.

Following a ti meless patt ern of lengthening days and burgeoning growth, every Spring is as diff erent as prevailing weather dictates, and in some years frosts and storms cut short the annual fl oral display. Aft er the recent mild, wet winter, this year, spring in the east of England has been near perfect, starti ng gently, but speeding up as cool, sunny days preserved early fl owering, and warmer days encouraged trees and bushes to unfurl leaves in a myriad shades of green. The emergence of spikes of horse chestnut fl owers, the dangling fl owers of lime and oak trees, and early May blossoms, now lead us towards summer.

Wintering birds have returned to northern breeding grounds, and lighter mornings raise the volume of local songbirds, delighti ng our ears as they vie for territories and partners. Warblers are back from their winter migrati on; swallows and marti ns are already here and it won’t be long before screaming swift s scythe the air overhead.

Clouds of midges dance in the sti llness of damp early warmth, a feast for waterbird families, and the fi rst butt erfl ies are on the wing ready to start their annual cycle of renewal. Lambs are playing in the fi elds. It’s all happening, it’s fabulous, and thanks to our island positi on on the edge of Europe, it’s uniquely Briti sh!

This spring, one of the pretti est for a long ti me, with wonderfully profuse blossom on wild and garden trees

promises a bumper fruit harvest if frosts and heavy rain stay away.

Across the countryside farmers’ fi elds are yellow with the fl owers of oilseed rape, while wild plants hurry to open fl owers of more subtle shades before stronger-growing neighbours obscure their precious light.

Our theme of renewal conti nues in this issue with an item on a recent release of young seals rescued as small pups and reared at East Winch Wildlife Centre, news of seals hauling out at Horsey to moult and renew their fur, and a report of a rescue which proves our chairman is a man of acti on.

We hope you enjoy reading the newslett er, but urge you to get out and enjoy the Briti sh countryside at its freshest and best.

Welcome to Spring!

Dainty dog violets bloom on Horsey’s dunes.

A cargo of colour at Winterton

Friends of Horsey Seals Noti ce of Annual General

Meeti ng

The AGM will be held in the Memorial Room,

Martham Village Hall, White Street, Martham NR29

4PQat 2pm

on Saturday 31st May 2014.Details and agenda will be

announced on FoHS website.

Friends of Horsey Seals Newslett er April 2014 Page 2

The dedicated carers at East Winch Wildlife Centre notched up more success on Thursday 20th March 2014 with the release of eight seal pups at Horsey. Unlike the February release at Winterton, which was much-covered by the media, this was a quieter aff air with only a few seal wardens, carers and a handful of passers-by to celebrate the start of life in the wild for these young seals.

Romanti cising such situati ons as a tearful separati on from foster parents is not how wildlife centre manager, Alison Charles, and her staff see it. On the contrary, the months of care spent feeding and tending fragile rescued seal pups to turn them into healthy animals fi t to live independently, comes to fruiti on with successful release. For these eight youngsters, that day had arrived.

At the centre, great care is taken not to develop relati onships with the pups so that their insti ncti ve cauti on of humans as a potenti al threat is not compromised.

Alison and the team had every right to be proud of the results of their hard work as they, and the small band of onlookers, watched the eight young seals take stock of the view before them as they made their way, with some hesitati on it must be said, towards the gently breaking waves. In fairness to the carers, if there was any regret at saying goodbye to this group it was ti nged with relief at the reducti on in the number of seals sti ll receiving care at the centre. At that ti me, about seventy sti ll had to get to the opti mum weight for successful release. Other releases have taken place since then as the youngsters reached this conditi on.

On this occasion, there was no rush to the sea as the seal stretchers, in which the seals were transported, were opened. Alison explained their wariness of

new experience as they adjusted to the beach and the movement of the waves, so diff erent from the sti ll water of their pool at the centre. Aft er taking their fi rst dip, some of them appeared to be saying, ‘that was ok, but I’ve had enough for now’, as they headed back onto the beach. But with a litt le help from Alison, they all got the hang of it eventually and gradually dispersed seawards. A single, beauti fully marked female grey seal watched the proceedings from just off shore. Was her anxious look imagined?

The months of round-the-clock care by Alison, and her devoted staff and volunteers which saved the lives of so many orphaned pups aft er the December storms, has been well documented. Alison is deeply grateful to members of the public whose show of support refl ected their sympathy for the plight of these enigmati c animals with generous donati ons of money and help.

Success is not always measured in fi nancial terms, and in this case, being able to release fi t young seals into the wild was reward enough for the East Winch carers.

Rescued pups released at Horsey

were opened. Alison explained their wariness of

A lone female grey seal waited just off shore watching the release of the young pups.

The welcoming committ ee perhaps?

Early in April, our chairman, Peter Ansell, was alerted by fellow seal warden, Roger, to the plight of a seal at Horsey which had netti ng wound around it.

Peter and his neighbour, Rik, joined Roger to fi nd the seal was sti ll on the beach, about twenty metres from a group of 200 or so other seals. Armed with a pig board, a stretcher, and sharp scissors, they set out to catch it and remove the net.

Rik’s nift y footwork with the pig board cut off the animal’s retreat to the sea, giving Peter and Roger a chance to capture it with the stretcher. This one, an adult harbour seal, had become entangled in fi shing net which had lodged around its midriff . Roger quickly cut away the netti ng and the seal was soon released. Mission accomplished! Well done Roger, Rik, and Peter.

Sadly, occasions like this are not unusual, but catching the animal to remove the obstructi on is not always so easy. Seals are wary and will evade

appr oaching help by entering the sea. Someti mes netti ng embeds deeply into the skin and causes infecti on which weakens the seal, and can lead to death if not treated.

A news item ‘Plea aft er seal is injured by plasti c’ (Eastern Daily Press Thursday 24th April 2014, by Sophie Wylie), reported the distress of a family who came across a necklaced harbour seal on Blakeney point. Alison Charles, RSPCA Each Winch Wildlife Centre manager, told the reporter that volunteers from the centre had followed up a call about the same seal three weeks earlier, but had been unable to fi nd it. She said, “it [the injury] really is awful and looks horrendous. All we can do is ask people to keep an eye out for it. If they see it, ring us straight away.”

Alison went on to note her frustrati on that so much harmful rubbish is about, adding that the number of seals injured by rubbish in the last 10 years has increased, “… this is the start of the season and it will get worse. We are bracing ourselves for a busy summer”, she said.

Alison appealed to visitors and fi shermen to clear up their rubbish. She advises people to give seals, especially injured ones, a wide berth. Anyone who sees an animal in distress (the centre deals with all animals and birds) should call RSPCA on 033 1234 999

Friends of Horsey Seals Newslett er April 2014 Page 3

Views expressed in this newslett er are those of the writer and might diff er from the views of the committ ee of Friends of Horsey Seals.

We can shop in person or online when we need new clothes. Animals don’t have that opti on, but many mammals need to replace worn fur at least once a year, usually when winter is over and temperatures rise. Think of your dog or cat and the hairs they leave about the house for you to clean up.

Marine mammals are no excepti on and both grey and harbour (common) seals moult some ti me aft er breeding. Harbour seals breed in June/July and moult about one month later. For grey seals, /the moult is happening now, three to four months aft er breeding.

FoHS seal counters, Bob and Bella, expected to see seals on the beach at Horsey on a morning walk in early April, but weren’t expecti ng as many as they found that morning, an esti mated number of 2000!

At Horsey the moult begins every year at about this ti me and big haul-outs conti nue to be seen on the beach for about six weeks while the process of shedding old fur and re-growing a new waterproof coat conti nues.

Researchers believe that increased blood supply to accelerate the growth of new fur, makes the animals more sensiti ve to the temperature of the sea, which has conti nued to cool during the winter months. On land they can scratch and wriggle to rub off dead hair and on fi ne days, benefi t from the warmth of the sun to limit heat loss.

Individual seals regularly come ashore for short periods at all ti mes of year to dry off , rest and get rid of parasites picked up at sea. Only during the moult, and when they breed, later in the year, however, do they gather in such large numbers and stay on land for long periods. Both great opportuniti es for visitors to enjoy a wildlife spectacular.

Seal wardens are not on duty during the moult. These are adult seals and able to escape into the sea if they feel threatened.

Friends of Horsey Seals ask visitors to respect seals on the beach by not approaching too closely, and keeping dogs on a lead when seals are near.

A necklace no seal wants

The annual moult - another wildlife spectacular at Horsey