Friends of Horsey Seals Newslett er June/July 2014 Page 1

Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 8 June/July 2014

It’s been a very Briti sh summer so far, with a mixture of mild and cool and wet and dry which has encouraged growth and extended fl owering. The countryside looks magnifi cent and even spells of heavy rains haven’t spoiled the wildfl owers and fresh greenery.

On Saturday 31st May the second Annual General Meeti ng of Friends of Horsey Seals took place at Martham Village Hall. We were pleased to welcome the thirty or so members who att ended.

The programme started with a presentati on by local landscape and wildlife photographer, David Boulter, who kindly stepped in at short noti ce to replace our adverti sed speaker.

In his annual report, chairman, Peter Ansell, spoke of the strength of the seal wardening team, and how combining the experience of regular wardens with the enthusiasm of new recruits worked so well in coping with the adversiti es of last December’s ti dal surge. Peter thanked the seal wardens for their great work and their fl exibility when called on to put in extra duti es to control the diffi cult situati on.

Summing up the year, Peter menti oned the success of recruitment of seal wardens, and noted that our membership had doubled this year. He thanked the many people who have helped FoHS to run successfully in 2013-14, and made parti cular menti on of the part played by Eilish Rothney. Eilish, FoHS communicati ons offi cer, dealt brilliantly with many requests from the media at the ti me of the North Sea ti dal surge, updati ng them on the aff ect on Horsey’s seals for their radio, television, and newspaper reports.

Peter referred to improvements to Horsey Gap car park and the diff erence the new layout has made to the enjoyment of visitors who come to see the seals. He added that a knock-on benefi t to seal wardens is that they no longer get drawn in to parking disputes. He went on to express the thanks of FoHS to Andy Coles, East Anglia Parking Services, who manages the parking, for his enduring help and generous donati on of a new seal stretcher which was so badly needed last December.

Treasurer, Renee Smith, presented a report of FoHS accounts which show a healthy balance at the start of our new fi nancial year.

You can read the minutes of the AGM which includes the Chairman’s report and 2013-14 fi nancial

statement, on Project Updates on the Members’ Page of our website, www.friendso�horseyseals.co.uk.

Aft er the spectacular sight of grey seals on the beaches during their moult in April, very few are there now. Large numbers haul out on Scroby Sands, just off the coast east of Great Yarmouth to rest and dry off at low ti de, free from disturbance by humans except for occasional boat-trippers.

You can see the seals on Scroby from Yarmouth beach if you have binoculars or a telescope, or get closer by joining a Scroby Sands boat trip. Trips run daily in summer from Marine Parade, Great Yarmouth, contact Kevin Duff y to book, 07876 800770. More informati on is available at www.sealtripsatyarmouth.com.

It’s unusual not to see the occasional seal close to the shore at Horsey at most ti mes during the summer months. Seals are curious animals and appear to watch you on your walk along the beach.

Among the items in this issue we’ll bring you up to date with jobs done by seal wardens, tell you of a kind act by one of our members, and we’ll consider where the seals might be when we can’t see them at Horsey.

Summer begins with Friends of Horsey Seals’ AGM

In this issue:• Summer starts

with AGM

• Prepare to meet seals

• FoHS benefi ts from Jayson’s fast.

• FoHS 24/7

• Blakeney aft er the surge

• Seal movements

• Horsey’s summerti me wildlife

Common toadfl ax

Friends of Horsey Seals Newslett er June/July 2014 Page 2

Seal wardening is a seasonal acti vity for our wardens, and mostly a weekend acti vity at that. But visitors to Horsey come at all seasons and on weekdays, too.

To prepare unwary visitors to the possibility of meeti ng seals on the beach, and to minimize disturbance to them parti cularly at breeding ti me, FoHS have installed some informati on signs.

The signs were delivered recently. Two were erected at the end of May, one at Bramble Gap, and a second at Crinkle Gap, by seal wardens, Roger Turton and

David Vyse, ably supervised by our chairman, Peter Ansell. We hope visitors will fi nd the new signs helpful when seal wardens are not present to answer their questi ons.

Andy Coles, East Anglia Parking Services, will be erecti ng the remaining two signs at strategic points in the Car Park.

Friends of Horsey Seals is grateful to Roger, David, Peter and Andy.

‘Beware seals on the beach’

No chocolate for Jayson is sweet news for Horsey SealsEarly this year FoHS member, Jayson Barthorpe-Freeman from Coventry, told us he was going to raise money for Friends of Horsey Seals by giving up eati ng chocolate during the month of March. As a result, FoHS received a cheque for £55.

Jayson’s kind act was inspired by a visit to the seals at Horsey and, in parti cular, by watching pups on the dunes, while enjoying a family winter break in Norfolk.

We look forward to thanking Jayson personally when he comes back to Norfolk in the autumn, but in the meanti me, well done, Jayson, we are most impressed by your kind donati on.

Jayson’s initi ati ve might inspire more members to raise funds for us in other imaginati ve ways!

FoHS never off dutyIt can never be said that FoHS wardens or our chairman, Peter Ansell, don’t like to get their hands dirty! On the contrary, they are always up for a challenge as demonstrated by this incident on 31st May.

An emergency call reporti ng an injured seal at Horsey was relayed to the Coastguards. They contacted Yarmouth’s Sea World, who had helped them in the past. Meanwhile on the beach at Winterton, other people were concerned about the seal and referred their worries to seal warden, Gemma Walker, who lives locally and is known for her involvement in wildlife conservati on.

Assessing the situati on, Gemma knew that the seal needed urgent att enti on and got in touch with RSPCA, explaining that the seal had a nasty wound where netti ng had become embedded into it’s neck. Catching the seal was a potenti al problem, and the group of onlookers helped to cut off its retreat to the sea, one of them getti ng bitt en on the hand for his trouble when he tried to restrain it by holding it’s tail. Fear gives even sick seals the agility to defend themselves.

With RSPCA crew on the way, Gemma phoned Peter, asking him to bring along a seal stretcher. It didn’t take long for Peter to make the short dash to

Winterton, and put the stretcher into use, gently restraining the seal. Helped by the band of onlookers the stretcher was carried to the car park to await the arrival of RSPCA.

Responding to the initi al call, a couple from Great Yarmouth’s Sea World arrived, but fi nding the situati on under control, and with the RSPCA help on the way, left the rescuers to complete their work.

About Fift een minutes later the RSPCA team arrived and the crew transferred the seal into a “kennel” in their van for the journey to East Winch RSPCA animal hospital where it is now receiving care.

The man who sustained the bite was advised about the danger to his health, and told to seek immediate medical help. East Winch, who gave the seal the admission name of Acti mel, have since told us the seal is being treated with anti bioti cs and getti ng lots of att enti on. It’s making good progress and has been placed in the secondary pool at the centre.

There has been no follow-up report from the gentleman with the bite. He, too, is probably being treated with anti bioti cs and we hope he is also making good progress. Gemma and Peter would like to thank him and his pals for their part in this rescue.

Banded snail found commonly on the dunes

Web of funnel spider

Common Polypody

Friends of Horsey Seals Newslett er June/July 2014 Page 3

Seal wardens are oft en asked if the seals and pups seen by visitors at Horsey, remain in the area, or where they go aft er breeding? It’s not an easy questi on for us to answer but research has been done in some European colonies by fi tti ng seals with lightweight tags which emit electronic tracking signals. Friends of Horsey seals are not involved in this type of research, so we asked the Nati onal Trust rangers at Blakeney who have access to more detailed informati on, to tell us what they know.

Ranger, Ajay, has kindly writt en this piece for FoHS newslett er which updates us on the aff ects of the ti dal surge at Blakeney and gives some informati on about seal movement.

We are grateful to Ajay, for his contributi on and to Victoria Egan, Countryside Manager for the Norfolk Coast, who arranged it.

Tidal surgeIt was a big relief to learn that the rookery on Blakeney Point had barely been aff ected by the ti dal surge. It was two days before we were able to get out to Blakeney Point. We were at fi rst shocked by the damage to the boardwalk and the Lifeboat House.

We also noti ced that seals and pups were in places we don’t normally see them: There was a pup on the Lifeboat House ramp, a cow, bull and pup together in the Lifeboat House garden and a few further into the main dunes than they have ever strayed before.

Despite this handful of displaced seals and a couple of others that turned up (one at Morston, and a couple

at Blakeney Freshes), the colony remained intact. A quick count of pups totalled a greater number than our previous count two days before the surge – new pups had been born aft er the fl ood.

Despite signifi cant erosion to the north-facing dunes behind the beach, the majority of seals remained on Far Point, albeit a bit higher up the dunes. It was quite moving to see that, although man-made infrastructure had been damaged – the seals appeared to come out relati vely unaff ected, such is the wonder of nature.

Seal movementsGrey Seals are present at Blakeney Point throughout the year, with numbers fl uctuati ng. They are far-ranging creatures, spending much ti me foraging in the North Sea. We know that seals from elsewhere come to Blakeney to pup, as numbers are higher at this ti me of year.

A cow with a telemetary tag was spott ed with a pup in November 2013, on Middle Point [see photograph above) . A bit of research revealed that it had been tagged by IMARES Ecology in Texel, the Netherlands in March 2013. It had followed the Dutch coast southwest to France, spent some ti me in the Channel and then followed England’s east coast northwards to Norfolk, where it spent a few days at sea before sett ling on Middle Point to give birth. We suspect that many of the seals at Blakeney make similar journeys.”

Ajay Tegala, Nati onal Trust Coastal Ranger, Blakeney Nati onal Nature Reserve.

‘How far do grey seals travel?’

Grey Seal cow with tag and pup Photo: G Baldock

Boat trips to see grey and harbour seals at Blakeney Point are available daily from April to 31st October. In the summer, seabirds nest on Blakeney Point, which is a world famous nature reserve known for its rare wildlife, plants and unusual birds which stop off to rest at migrati on ti mes. The boat trips are a great way to get close to seals and nesti ng birds and give an opportunity to stop off to look at the fl ora and fauna of the Point.

Trips run from Blakeney Harbour and Morston Quay. Blakeney Harbour: Bishop’s Boats: Bookings: 0800 0740 753 between 8am – 7pm (7 days a week). More informati on at: www.bishopsboats.com or paul@bishopsboats.com

Morston Quay: Beans Boats: Bookings by phone only: 01263 740505 (Graham Bean), or 01263 740038 (John Bean) informati on www.BeansBoat-Trips.co.uk

Get closer to nature on a Blakeney boat trip

Friends of Horsey Seals Newslett er June/July 2014 Page 4

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.

The dunes at Horsey and neighbouring areas are vitally important to local residents as a defence against encroachment by the North Sea. The eff ecti veness of the system was severely tested last December when the sea threatened to breach the dunes. Fortunately, though the ti ming badly aff ected the seals, Horsey villagers were spared.

The slopes of those same dunes, dry, sandy, salty, oft en windy, and prone to sea spray, provide niches for plants to grow and fl ower. Plants and fl owers nurture insects and their seeds feed birds and small mammals, creati ng an ecosystem.

Happily, wild places, like the dunes, missed the severe treatment with chemical sprays used in recent decades to improve food producti on, or in the name of effi cient management of roadside verges. Since we woke up to the connecti on between chemical sprays and the loss of essenti al insects, changes have been made. Wildfl owers are returning to the roadsides, and farmers are encouraged to leave space for wildlife.

Take a look at the profusion of colour growing again in grassy verges to see how things have changed. The mild spring and ideal growing conditi ons this year produced glowing colours along main roads and country lanes. Wild gardens for everyone to enjoy.

Given the slightest chance, plants want to grow and despite the testi ng conditi ons, the profusion of hidden, jewel-like fl owers and plants on the dunes at Horsey, are a perfect example.

Overarched by Norfolk skies, there’s lashings of light, and sunny slopes to hold the warmth, but note the small size of specimens on the driest and windiest areas, and see how the same species grow more luxuriantly where moisture is retained and the soil more ferti le.

You might fi nd some areas of Horsey’s dunes roped off to let worn areas regenerate. Please avoid these secti ons if you should be walking there, but there are fl owers everywhere - how many diff erent species can you fi nd?

Look out, too, for other kinds of plants: mosses rushes, ferns, lichens, heathers, and grasses. The sun brings out many kinds of butt erfl ies and day-fl ying moths. Enjoy the sound of skylarks singing overhead, and birds, like meadow pipits and stonechats, seeking insects to feed their young.

The dunes are a paradise for nature ... and then, of course, there are seals just a stones-throw away on the seaward side.

Horsey’s sand dunes: a paradise for nature

Litt le terns are back at Winterton

Ragged Robin

Southern marsh orchid

Gall growing on dog rose

Sea bindweedSheep’s-bit scabious

LichenBird’s-foot trefoil

Marram grass fl owers on Horsey dunes