That's sealed it...

Not all of our trips are long distances to see an obscure brown job in a bush with lots of blokes in cammo gear. Today we did one of favourite trips out to go and see the seals on Blakeney Point in Norfolk. This involves getting on one of the many boats which take you out from Morston Quay with all of the other tourists but it is a marvellous sight.
We set out early to get ahead of the traffic and got to Cley for our breakfast on the beach before 9. It was a lovely day with a flat sea and crystal blue sky as we had our coffee and croissant sitting on the pebbles. Suitable refreshed we headed off for the carpark at Morston to join our boat. The car park was already really full as the school holidays were in full swing and most of West London had decamped to the coast!! We signed in, joined the queue and were 4th and 5th onto the Beans boat for our trip. You take a short trip out down the tidal creek into the harbour then on to the point for the seals.

The harbour was as busy as I've ever see it. Apart from the  seal viewing trips there were lots of yachts and a small race going on in the stiff breeze. Within 10 minutes we were at the end of Blakeney point where about 150 seals were pulled out onto the shingle.

The seals are pretty much habituated to the many boats going past, which get to within 10 metres of them. You go up and down the beach 5 or 6 times as the seals, both common and grey, watch you with a certain amount of amusement.

Most of the seals were common seals, who have a round face. The grey seals, as in the photo above, are larger and have a much longer and more pointed nose.

We go out on high tide to get down the creek and the seals are resting on the shingle. One thing they don't like though are kayakers, two of which were just offshore. The seals watched them and a lot did move into the sea.
We were a bit late in the season but a number of terns were still sharing the shingle. Most were sandwich terns, both youngsters and their parents still bringing in fish for them.

Finally we left the seals to the next set of boats coming in with their eager tourists.

We moved along the coast to Titchwell which was really quiet on the wildlife front but rammed with happy holidaymakers. A family of bearded tits were showing well on the mud

and a bedstraw hawkmoth trapped overnight was a star near the cafe. This is a very rare moth and the first for the reserve.

Tired but happy we headed back home via the farm shop next to Titchwell which supplied us with apple juice, fish and loads of swallows nesting in their eaves. A very good day!!!