Good news from the Donna Nook NNR, the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust reports that 1,194 grey seal pups were born at the reserve during the recent pupping season, that's an increase of 11.5% on the 2006 total.

That is great news! A real increase. Do you know what caused it?

No, the number of grey seal pups born at Donna Nook has been gradually increasing ever since the 1960s. Nobody seems really sure why, but it's generally thought that the beach is a relatively safe place for the seals to pup, which leads to a much higher than average pup survival rate.

There have been constant worries over the years that the ever-increasing number of people visiting the reserve during the 6-weeks long pupping season (around 45,000 last year) will eventually drive the seals away, but so far, there’s no sign of this happening.

Speaking from limited experience, I don't think there is much to worry about in regards to people visiting the pups. As long as they don't go to close, I've seen in other places that seals are either completely unfazed by the boat or are curious and come over to see what it is. They don't seem to mind at all.

They may appear to not worry about the humans, but when I've been on boat trips they seem to run every 10-15 minutes for the entire day. That's a lot of disturbance for the seals, but I'm glad it doesn't seem to be having any effect on them.

Brilliant news! Thanks for sharing that with us!