Skomer Island Seal-cam

In 2003 and 2004 our Live Webcam captured some great shots of Puffins and Grey Seals on Skomer Island - click here to see some of the best Puffin shots, or read some fast facts on grey seals from Skomer island's warden Juan Brown! The Grey Seal (sometimes also called the Atlantic Grey Seal) - Halichoerus grypus is one of two species of seal resident in the Britain Isles. The other species - the Common Seal (Phoca vitulina) - has a more cosmopolitan world distribution, and differs from the Grey in that it is smaller with a spottier coat and stubbier face. A close-up view will reveal that the nostrils on a Common Seal form a V shape, whereas on a Grey they are more parallel. The world headquarters of the Grey Seal is the British Isles. The largest numbers occur (in order of abundance) in the Western Isles, Orkney, the Farne Islands, the Isle of May, Shetland, Cornwall, and Ireland. One of the best places to see them in Wales is Skomer Island, where adults can be seen all year round. Seal Pupping Come autumn, and pupping begins. Fluffy white seal pups begin to appear in the coves and caves of Skomer from late August, with peak numbers at the end of September / beginning of October. In total, over 150 pups are born on Skomer each year. The number has remained relatively stable over the past decade. Pups feed off the rich fatty milk of the mother for their first three weeks. They gain weight rapidly, and moult into their velvety first-year coat, before taking to the sea and learning to forage for themselves. The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales, under contract from the Countryside Council for Wales, monitors seal-pupping on the island each year. Every pup is given a unique colour combination by spraying coloured spots and lines on their rump, using a harmless dye normally used to mark lambs. They lose the markings after only three weeks, when they moult. This enables us to follow the fortunes of each pup, keeping track of how many are born and how many survive. Will you spot a colour-marked seal pup on the cam? Juan Brown More on the Wildlife Trust for South & West Wales Where is Skomer? Click here for a map More on the island reserve, and how you can get there...