This month’s Nature & Wildlife shoot is an opportunity to photograph seals out on the North Norfolk Coast
A well-known sight on our coast are the common and grey seals, often seen lounging on the beach or curiously watching us from the water. With over half of the world's population of Grey Seals, approximately 80,000 individuals, choosing to use Britain's coastline, we are incredibly lucky that a large proportion of these can be found around Norfolk's shores.
While both species can be seen throughout the year and they co-exist happily, the beaches between Horsey and Winterton are blessed to be home to some of the largest colonies of Grey Seals to be found anywhere. From November to the end of January the beach will be crowded with Seals and their new born pups.
However, as these are wild animals, please treat these beautiful animals with the ultimate respect they deserve. Human intervention can easily prove fatal to Seals and in particular their Pups, so please ensure you adhere to the following rules during the shoot:
Keep Your Distance - Maintain a distance of at least 10 metres between you and the seals but always take care not to disturb the seals. For this reason, a zoom or telephoto lens with a focal length of at least 300mm is preferred.
Don’t Chase Seals or Their Pups into The Water - Seal pups, while white, are not waterproof until they first moult and are likely to drown.
Never Come Between a Pup and Their Mother - Approaching Seal pups may lead the mother to abandon the Pup
If you See A Seal In that is Clearly in Difficulty - Contact The Friends of Horsey Seals on 07706 314514 or the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999
The sun is expected to rise in Wexham at 7:40am so we plan to meet at 7:00am so we can enjoy the best of the early light. An early start also offers ideal conditions to photograph the seals with the first low tide coinciding with our planned arrival.
Car parking is available in Church Road just north of Waxham Great Barn which is just a short walk from the beach. Use Postcode NR12 0DY for Satnav.
Besides the opportunity to photograph the seals and their pups Waxham beach offers many other opportunities. It sits in a designated area of outstanding natural beauty, and as you walk onto the dunes above the beach, you’ll understand why.
Once you’ve reached the beach, you can, yet again and as is so typical of Norfolk beaches, see for miles. To the North you get a very good view of the reefs at Sea Palling, and to the South you see Waxham Sands and Horsey in the distance. Just vast stretches of sand in front of you with space to walk where you like and as far as you like.
Images - Nick Lewis