Video (1min 15secs) now available of pup leaving the beach possibly for the last time. - 25th October 15.55hrs (see report below for details)

Large ( 4.3Mb ) click HERE to view

Small ( 1.4Mb ) click HERE to view

22.50hrs - No news from Paul Bailey ... no sign of the pup returning to the cove tonight. Check will take place throughout tomorrow.

**** Video of pup leaving the beach will appear here on Wednesday morning ****

'Farewell' or just 'Bye for now' .......... ?

Medic Sue Davie had the early morning shift today and the pup did not move much from her man-made shelter (see below). Medic Julie Kaye took over at 10.00am and quickly was concerned by the large numbers of onlookers who were determined to see the pup ... even to the point of getting argumentative with her. Credit to Julie (and those other Medics) who have encountered unreasonable people who are set on getting the photo they want and ignoring the advice of trained volunteers.

Julie called me at about midday as she was concerned that things were getting out of hand. I was also concerned that we did not have any volunteers booked for the afternoon. I decided to take my family down to the cove for a look and to give the pup a helping hand back on to the beach.

At about 3.45pm we arrived and I was immediately struck by the number of onlookers. (see pic)

I took a close look at the pup in her concrete 'cave' to make sure she was well. Indeed, she was fat and healthy ..... and definitely female ... I saw her urinate.

After advising the crowd of my plan, I took our information board and used it to gently herd her out of the passageway, across the concrete platform/seating area and on to the shingle. She looked at the sea (nearly high tide), looked at the crowd and made her way into the sea. She swam out several metres and dived and then surfaced some 45-60 seconds later quite a distance away. She was definitely spotted a couple more times in the cove until we completely lost sight of her.

We waited around for another hour and half without seeing her and then left the cove.

At least three other seals were in the cove throughout the day.

Of course, this may be another false 'farewell' as these pups do often hang about for a few weeks after weaning ... she has been weaned for about 5-6 days now.

The pic opposite is one I took when she came out of the passageway .... it's the closest anyone has been to her in the four weeks of Pupwatch ... I hope you like the pic. I will put more on the Image Library tomorrow.

Oh ... by the way .... I also managed to film her as he left the beach and swam away !! .... video here Tuesday morning.

Resident, Paul Bailey, will check the cove tonight/tomorrow for any trace of her. I'll update this page with any news. Once we're sure she's gone .... Pupwatch will officially be over.

Tony Woodley - BDMLR OnLine & Exmouth Coordinator

7.15am - Local resident, Paul Bailey, confirms that the pup is still in the gap in the sea wall. The tide is now dropping.

Medic - Sue Davie will shortly take over Pupwatch.

More reports here later.

A difficult day for pup and Medics

When Lisa Hochstrasser arrived at the cove ( see report below ) she found that the pup had moved around the slipway and was playing in a stream which runs down the middle of the beach. This was nice for the pup but a headache for Lisa as many people were walking their dogs across the beach.

Eventually the tide started to rise and Medic Hugh Miller took over. The sea state was very rough and the westerly wind near to storm force. Soon the pup had to swim through the breakers to the beach. Here it moved up the beach as far as it could until the rollers lifted it up on to a concrete platform at the back of the beach.

The pup then made her way into a gap in the sea wall where a small passage gave her shelter. This caused much interest amongst the watching public and Hugh and his partner had difficulty controlling the inquisitive people. They were assisted by Medic Clare Toffolo who had turned by chance. Clare rang me and I said I would come down to see the situation. I contact the Coastguard as I was concerned that members of the public were 'playing' with the waves as they crashed over the sea wall. An auxiliary coastguard was despatched.

I arrived to find the pup sleeping in the passageway and with the knowledge that the next high tide at 5am on Monday would be as high and be accompanied by very strong winds, decided to leave her where she was.

A new warning sign was erected at the far end of the beach to warn dog owners to keep their animals under control and steer clear of the pup. I left at 8pm.

Hopefully this pup will soon pluck up the courage to leave this public location.

Tony Woodley - BDMLR OnLine & Exmouth Coordinator

Medic report 8-12 Sun 24th Oct

At first light pup beginning was to wake. She circled the beach, sniffing anything and everything, before falling asleep behind some rocks at the entrance of her cave.

Pup appeared around 1030am. She moved with some determination along the bottom of the slipway and up the other side to the fresh water pipe, coming out of the harbour wall (next to the steps).

Over the next hour a very large crowd gathered, watching in awe as she splashed and played under her waterfall.
She had a nap in the fresh water channel until a surge from the incoming tide gave her a rude awakening.
Pup waited until the incoming tide was floating her before swimming off to join the surfers in the cove.

I would like to say a big thank you to the co-operation of all the people using the beach yesterday. Everyone was understanding and respectful of the pups presence, even though she disrupted peoples access to the main part of the beach.

Report of some of today's activities

The pup has spent most of the last two days in a little cave next to the original beach.

Today I arrived at 8.10am and met Medic Carole Platt who had stayed overnight nearby. I was able to film the pup moving around and investigating an empty milk carton in 'her' cave. The weather was foul ! ... driving rain and very strong winds. The sea was very rough with large rollers coming into the cove. These rollers were being enjoyed by surfers both human and seal ! ... there were anything between 2 and 5 seals in the cove. None of these appeared to be the mother who has not been seen in the area for a couple of days. The pup is now on her own.

Eventually, as the tide came in, the pup made her way to the waters edge and the waves slowly splashed her with more and more vigor. Eventually she was being swamped all the time ... and ... much to the delight of us and the gathered public ( about 40 people ) she left the beach and went for a great swim all around the cove !

Proper swimming ... not paddling ... but diving, surfing and strong swimming. She looked like she'd been doing it for years ... well, I suppose she is a seal.

Eventually she made her way back to the beach and was 'spat' out by the surf. She hauled herself right up to the top of the beach and fell asleep. This is where I left her, with Carole still watching at about 1.30pm.

Guess what ... thanks to Carole holding an umbrella ..... I caught all of this swim on my video camera ... and here it is ( see below )

Cheers,

Tony Woodley - BDMLR OnLine & Exmouth BDMLR Coordinator

Video (2min 18secs) now available of pup, weaned, alone on beach playing with plastic milk bottle and then swimming around the cove ! - 23rd October. (see report above for details)

Large ( 5.8Mb ) click HERE to view

Small ( 2.0Mb ) click HERE to view

Report of some of today's activities ... pup still on the beach

I arrived about 11.40 today and found Sue Davie keeping her eye on three or four males in the bay.
Our pup was tucked away, snug as a bug, in her little cave on the usual bit of beach.
We had a fine old time observing heads popping up out of the waves, which were quite high at times, what with the strong wind blowing across the water.
Sue shared her coffee with me and eventually managed to tear herself away from the scene.
I suppose it must have been about one o'clock when three juvenile males, which had been together in the surf for a while, hauled out on our little beach and began to treat us to a fabulous display of play fighting.
I cursed the fact that I had no video camera, nor even a still camera with me, for they were no more than 30 feet away from us, right there on the beach!
For about 10 to 15 minutes they kept up a game of tag, their sleek, black bodies sliding over one another, playfully biting each other's flippers, but always gently.
Ian (Coastguard) joined me briefly and told me he had never seen this before.
The slightly larger of the three had a recent injury just forward of the right shoulder, which Ian and I managed to inspect through binoculars. It looked very clean and was not bleeding. Neither did it seem to bother the animal in the slightest.
The amazing thing was that the three appeared totally unconcerned about our standing so close.
When Julie arrived for her shift just before 2.00 all was deserted. You would never have thought it had happened at all.
Who knows what will happen tomorrow.......Never a dull moment!
Cheers,

Arie den Hollander - Plymouth Coordinator

0745 - pup fast asleep on top end of beach and 3 adult seals swimming and playing near by.
0900-0945 - pup wakes up and makes her way to the waters edge. After some consideration ventures into the water, swimming and diving brilliantly in the rough waters.

0930 - Mum comes to the beach looking for pup. Once spotted mum goes straight to her, laying on top of pup. With only pups head visible in the water she appears to be struggling. After a few minutes frees herself and bolts towards the beach, up and over some rocks in seconds!

1000 - Pup not visible to public as still tucked away behind rocks. Mum continuing to stay close by in the water.

Regards

Lisa Hochstrasser - Medic

21-10-04

(07.10hrs)

Arie den Hollander was the scene for four hours. The cow was not sighted, The pup spent the entire time on the beach at the oriiginal site.

I arrived at about 4.45pm and took over from Arie until it was dark. The pup stayed on the beach. I saw one young seal in the cove 'fishing' and two more playing in the surf for over two hours. No sign of Mum.

It looks like we've moved into a period when the pup is now alone on the beach and hasn't got the idea that it's time to head of and start feeding itself.

We will need to try and provide volunteers for Pupwatch as the location remains very public and the school holiday starts next week.... things will get busier.

If you can help with Pupwatch ... please get in touch ( see note above ).

Tony Woodley.

20-10-04

(11.30hrs)

.... they're back ! ... a local resident has called us to let us know that mum and pup are back on the beach at the original location. Arie den Hollander is on his way down to take a look. I guess we may get a few days of this moving around ?

More later. Tony.

Last Day of Pupwatch

When I arrived for my shift at 10.00 today, Sue Davie greeted me with:
"The pup has gone."
Mum was still there. A little bit later someone came over from ##### and told us the pup was there.
Sue and I split a pair of walkie-talkies and I drove to #####.
At the bottom of the slip, on a tiny bit of beach in the corner, lay what appeared to be the body of our pup.
I called Sue. She wasted no time and joined me. The moment she saw it, she, too, thought the worst.
Lying face down in about six inches of water was our pup, motionless, but being gently rocked by the small waves at the water's edge.
We were both choked. Was this how all our efforts were going to end?
We stood there, not believing, for several minutes. Then our pup lifted its head and looked at us. It moved a little, sluggish at first, but then, quickly, more like its former self.
Mum appeared and looked for her offspring. A good example of what we learned about a seal's eyesight, was demonstrated when mum totally failed to see the pup.
Mum left again. Then also the pup, and Sue drove back to ###### to see if they would turn up there.
A message quickly came from Sue: "The pup is back at #######."
That's when mum came back to where I was standing, still frantically looking for her pup.
I must have looked a right idiot jumping up and down on the slipway pointing towards ###### and talking to a seal......
She did seem to understand, though, and shortly afterwards she was reunited with her pup.
Sue and I shared an incredible hour watching these two playing together in the water, so much enjoying it too!
Then, at 12.20, mother and pup swam purposefully out of the cove. We searched the bay for a long time through our binoculars, but they had gone.
Sue had to leave then, but I am glad she could share those precious final moments.
We learned a little later that mum had taken her pup to the little cove around the corner.
Tony, good ol' Tony, arrived with camera and tripod, and, together with Liz, braved the steep slopes above the little cove to shoot some final, unforgettable footage, while I went to Paul's Restaurant to get some food and coffee inside me.

Arie den Hollander - Plymouth BDMLR Coordinator

Mum and pup spent much of the morning in the water, retreating behind rocks, following the receding tide.

At 12:15 mum went into the water alone, not returning for an hour and a half. Meanwhile pup stayed on sand, largely hidden from spectators. When mum returned there was some calling between the two, following which pup had a feed.

Mum then appeared to be trying to pursuade pup to join her in going down to the water; pup seemed to want to go further up the beach, so mum went in alone, returning soon after. Meanwhile pup largely slept and rolled around, a long way down the beach, but in full view.

At about 3:30 mum went swimming again and had not returned by 4:15.

John Murphy - diver from Surrey (!)

1600 pup fast asleep in a sandy alcove further down the beach, with the cow nowhere to be seen. The topic of conversation was whether the cow would return - no one seems to want this all to end.
1700 much to the relief of the crowd, the cow began to surface occasionally at the waters edge to check on pup.
1745 with the water beginning to lap against the pup, she began to call out to mum. After what appeared to be a fruitless effort to unbeach itself and join mum in the water, the pup had to rely of the incoming tide to refloat before being able to swim off.
Pup and mum both played, splashed and rolled around together very happily in the alcove, occasionally venturing out into the deeper waters. Another seal (unsure if the bull) was also out swimming near the two, but while appearing very interested, didn’t get too near them.
1900 with the light almost gone and still drawing in a crowd, I left the last of the 'die hard' fans to watch mum and pup swimming around the bottom of the slipway.

Lisa Hochstrasser - Medic

I turned up at 10 am and was filled in on the morning's events by Arie. Mum and pup were swimming and playing in the water as they had been for at least half an hour. It definitely looked as if mum was showing pup how to root around the base of rocks for food as there were some extended periods where their
heads were down and bottoms were up; our pup is a very proficient swimmer for someone not quite 3 weeks old!.

It was really lovely to see mum and pup enjoying swimming together, mum kept trying to push pup back on the beach but pup was obviously not finished enjoying herself. They hung around the rocks for most of the time but at one point they made their way to at least 100 yards off shore to open water where they were disappearing for a couple of minutes at a time in between splashing on the surface.

I eventually left John (from London for the day!!) pup-watching at 12.30pm, I'd hung on chatting just in case mum did succeed to get pup ashore, but the last look was of 2 happy seals, splashing, rolling and swimming about in the receding tide.

Sue Davie - Medic

9.21am - Arie has just called to confirm that the cow has managed to free herself from the material. Phew !

It is a beautiful, crisp, sunny day at the cove. I think those on Pupwatch today will have a splendid day.

Video (6min 39secs) now available of pup and cow including a feed - 17th October. (see reports below for details)

Large (7.5Mb ) click HERE to view

Small ( 2.0Mb ) click HERE to view

** Hi Quality clip of pup feeding 6.3Mb - 38secs : click HERE **

I arrived at the cove at about 4pm to find medics Carole Platt and Claire Toffolo on Pupwatch. I hadn't been at the site for three days and was stunned by the massive size of the pup ... fast asleep on a bed of seaweed. I was also struck by the size of the cow ... she is nearly 50% of her original size, when we first saw her on the 29th September. The energy she has used in feeding her pup is clearly showing .... she is getting very thin.

Initially there was little activity but eventually the cow made her way up the beach and a feed took place. The cow then made her way to the surf and myself and the onlookers had the feeling that this could be the last we will see of her, as soon she will leave her pup. However, she did not disappear .. she remained in the shallow water nearby and was still floating about when I left at about 6.30pm. Local resident Paul Bailey was there to Pupwatch until it was dark. While I was at the site, I did not see the bull.

There is a definite feeling that we are nearing the end of this saga. The cow will leave shortly and then the pup will probably linger on the beach for anything from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

I cannot put into words the admiration I have for the volunteers who have given their time (and still are) to providing these seals with safety and also providing the public with information. Thank you.

Video clip of cow and pup and the feed above.

Tony Woodley - Exmouth BDMLR Coordinator/BDMLR OnLine

When I arrived about 1.30pm in readiness for my ‘watch’, Mum and pup were resting together at the top of the beach, still plenty of onlookers, commenting on how much the pup had grown.
All was quiet as appropriate for a Sunday afternoon, with pup attempting a feed but losing interest quickly. Mum then wandered down the beach towards the water.

At 2pm the local coastguard launched their maroon to attend an emergency, shortly followed by their inflatable boat, which was launched by tractor quite close to Mum and pup. At the sound of the maroon, both were alert and Mum moved up the beach to be closer to the pup. They both appeared to be quite interested in the launch activity but quickly fell asleep again!

Both were quite inactive all afternoon, even when the coastguard returned. Although alert to the activity, they were not particularly alarmed.

No bull was seen on the beach during the afternoon, although walkers reported seeing a seal swimming on the far side, near the rocks.

Carole Platt - Medic

All was quiet when I turned up shortly before 2pm, Mum and pup were sleeping and stayed that way until Clair turned up to relieve me 2 hours later!!! I guess all the shenanigans of the night before had them both very tired. Apparently pup had been for a swim earlier too. I was in the process of saying what a quiet time I'd had of it (apart from 3 separate incidents of members of the public 'not realising' that the cordon actually might apply to all) when pup woke and turned on the full charm!

I left Clair in charge of 2 seals and an ever increasing amount of onlookers - at least 30, another 10 walking that way and 3 car loads of kids and grannies looking to park !

(Sue has also sent some pics in of the seals ... check out the Devon Pupwatch album on the Image Library)

Sue Davie - Medic

Arie den Hollander reports that at this mornings high tide, there was very little beach remaining and the pup was quite happy to swim around. The pup was diving and swimming very professionally. However, the cow was not happy and literally pushed the pup out of the water and up on to the beach.

More news here later today.

15-10-04

(22.30hrs)

Paul Bailey confirms that despite initial concerns about the pup earlier tonight ...... he has just seen the pup, cow and bull all hauled out on the shingle beach. The pup is right in the corner of the beach up against the sea wall and the cow is laid between the pup and the bull.

Paul also reports that earlier today, around 4pm, there were two other bulls fighting in the surf. Full-on crashing into each other, biting, snarling etc .... just like a "BBC Wildlife Documentary" as Paul says. The smaller bull eventually swam off at great speed.

Later a bull came up the beach and gave the pup a hard nudge. The pup apparently whipped round and attempted to bite the bull !

The latest opinion is that taking into account the colour of the pups coat which is appearing through the white coat and the shape of head ..... this pup is more than likely to be female ! .... not male as was originally thought.

15-10-04

(19.45hrs)

Local resident, Paul Bailey, who has been keeping an eye on the situation in the late evenings has just contacted me. Tonight at 20.10hrs (BST) the tide is going to be the highest there's been in the last few weeks. The pup is already having to swim in the rough sea within the cove and as the last of the light faded, Paul could just make out the pup struggling in a large mat of floating seaweed. The cow is with the pup and the bull is taking up the last tiny bit of beach remaining.

Paul is going to go down to the site with his torch at about 23.00hrs (11pm) and see if the pup is back on the beach once the tide has receeded.

Check back here after 23.30hrs tonight for that update.

Tony.

Medics Report

I arrived at 9am to find mum and pup dozing at what appeared to be high tide, shortly after though, pup decided she wanted breakfast and woke mum. Just as she was tucking who should make an appearance than the bull! Mum saw him off and then resumed feeding.

The rest of my stint was very quiet as mum spent most of it dozing and pup spent most of her time rolling around in the seaweed, scratching, waving at the onlookers and generally attracting lots of attention.

It was surprising to see how much pup has changed her coat (alot of grey showing through) and how she still continues to balloon out. Mum looks very sleek but still in reasonable condition. As for the bull, well, he's lost quite a bit of weight too, but then he doesn't seem to have alot of spare time for feeding!
All looked calm and peaceful when I handed over to Arie.

Sue Davie - Medic

Medics Reports of todays activities

Arrived at 0750, high tide, to find the cow and bull playing in the shallows of the water, while the pup stayed on the beach.
0755 pup began crying out. The cow then retuned to the pup, who merrily tucked into his breakfast for the next 5 mins while the bull stayed in the surf.
0800 cow and pup made their way to the water, the pup stayed close to the slip way and dipped his head in but made a hasty retreat back up the beach when the cow and bull began to fight.
0805 the bull swam off, the cow returned to the beach and promptly fell asleep, leaving the pup to spend the next hour wriggling and scratching in his seaweed bed.
0900 approx local and national photographers arrive, to find both cow and pup fast asleep and the bull nowhere to be seen!

Lisa Hochstrasser - Medic

0730 - I rise from my bed to the extremely uninviting sound of wind and pouring rain!
The journey was awful - rain, traffic and roadworks led to a very long journey! However, it was very worthwhile because when I got here, the sun was shining!
Before I arrived, pup and mum had been splashing in the surf (it was quite a high tide!) before flaking out at the top of the beach!
1000 - I arrived and found pup and mum at the back of the beach, tucked in against the slipway. Because you could only see the pup from the cliffs a lot of the locals were asking if he had left. The look of relief on their faces when they found out he was still there was amazing! He really has become a local celebrity! The bull was last seen about 1hr ago.
1100 - a dog, off the lead, is being walked by its owners across the beach! Despite trying to indicate to them to put it on a lead, the dog is allowed to run right up the slipway, alongside the mum and pup! Fortunately, we caught the dog before it saw the pup and mum, and before they saw it! And the owners got a suitable telling off!
1145 - pup's feeding time!
1245 - the bull is spotted in the shallows, swimming around letting the waves break over him!
1350 - the bull left the water and started bouncing up the beach, stopping a few times on the way to check his surroundings! He went right up to mum and pup, both of whom were sleeping, then began paying a lot of attention to the pup. Mum became quite defensive and pup moved away! There was a short 'cuddle' between mum and bull but mum soon stopped that when pup made his way across to the other side of the slipway. Pup continued up alongside the slipway towards the steps, with mum just behind him all the way. Bull retreated to the water.
1415 - feeding time again!
1435 - the bull makes another dash up the beach, towards mum and pup who are both still to the right of the slipway! Mum made her way over to the bull and gave him a bit of a snarl.
1445 - mum made her way to the water with the bull following closely behind - looks like he's going to get his wicked way (again)! Pup was left rolling around on his back on the beach.
1535 -pup is cornered between the steps and slipway as the tide continues to rise; at one point there was a lot of chat amongst the large crowd that had gathered that pup was going to try the stairs for an escape from the sea! Funnily enough, this didn't happen and instead he sat on the small patch of beach that was remaining!
1605 - after being thrown around and bashed against the wall and slipway for half an hour, the mum finally finds pup and guides him back around to the other side of the slipway! After a tense time for all those watching (approx. 50-60!) we were able to breath again knowing the pup was safe and well, although extremely tired! Pup had another feed and then laid on his side and 'waved' to us all before taking a well-earned nap!!

What a great day - good weather, lots of people to talk to, and lots of action!

Dan Thorogood - Medic

Medics report on today's activities - Tony Woodley

Medics on Pupwatch today were ; Arie den Hollander, Sue Davie, Dave Sanders, myself and Dave McDonald.

When I first arrived at about 1.45pm the pup was asleep about 50metres down the beach and the cow and bull were mating in the shallow water. At about 2.30pm the tide reached the pup and woke it up. The pup then moved into the water and had a wonderful 30 minutes swim ! ... not just a paddle but a full-on swim in water up to about a metre deep. Guess what .... I had my video camera with me ....... BUT .... I'd left it on 'standby' as I drove down to the cove (about 60 minute drive) and the battery was completely dead. Imagine my frustration as we watched the pup splashing about and really getting to grips with the idea of being a seal. Dave Sanders did get some pics on his camera and will be sending them to me later ... I'll post them here later.

After the swim, pup and mum moved on to the beach for a feed. The bull did get in the way once and a scrap between cow and bull ended with bull heading out to the surf and the cow getting a bite on her nose/face.

Pic by Dave Sanders. See more of Daves images on the Image Library (Devon Pupwatch album)

If you are thinking of volunteering for Pupwatch and you are a BDMLR Medic ... book your place soon as this pup isn't going to hang about for long. We need volunteers to cover the shifts on Friday, Saturday and Sunday ( 15th, 16th and 17th October ). Shifts are as above. Please email me - click HERE.

Medics reports on today's activities

0800 1st medic arrived at location - pup had already been fed once beforehand.
0830-0915 pup and mum 'playing' on beach.
0930 I arrived and found pup investigating the beach.
1135 pup feeds
The bull has been around all day, within view, but has not left the water since early this morning.
1155 mum has a rest afer feeding pup, taking cover behind some rocks. Pup stays alongside the slipway, being very vocal!
1250 the bull came up the beach to the mother and, without any objections from her, quite literally climbed on top! He quickly got off again and they ended up embracing each other side-by-side for about 10mins! Mum then made her way to the water and the bull promptly followed!
1310 pup made a move towards the water but changed his mind and went for a wander across the beach instead!
1400 pup sticks his head in the water and appears to quite like it! He remained in the water for quite some time, splashing around near to the shore while mum and the bull continued to embrace in the water.
1420 I had to leave, leaving mum and the bull together still (that's 1h 20m now and they're not showing any sign of stopping!) and pup still playing in the shallows!

Dan Thorogood - BDMLR Medic

2.40pm Seal mum and bull fighting again in the sea. Mum wanted to come onto the beach but the bull had other ideas!

2.45pm Pup decided to finish swimming and splashing around and came up onto the beach right beside the slipway. After posing for photographs started to cry for another feed!

2.50pm Seal mum came out of the water on the first cries from pup. Bull followed her out. Bull followed mum out of the water and she warned him to keep away. They had a small fight and the bull went back very close to the waters edge.

3.00pm Pup fed.

3.10pm Pup finished feeding, posed for more photographs on realising there was now a large gathering! And then rolled over on to her back and had a little nap!

The bull went back into the shallow waters and mum snoozed at the water line.

During this time two more seals were seen on the other side by the pier.

Rachel Smith - Medic

Video (7min 18secs) now available of pup feeding, bull and cow 'scrapping' and then mating and pup relaxing after feed - 10th October.

Large ( 8.3Mb ) click HERE to view

Small ( 2.2Mb ) click HERE to view

Report by Tony Woodley

The Medics 'on duty' on Pupwatch today were ; Mark Gregory*, Gemma Barker and Clare Toffolo. Myself and Arie den Hollander (Plymouth Coordinator) dropped in for a few hours as well.... and BDMLR Director & Vet - James Barnett also dropped by on his way back from the Looe Medic course for vets/vet nurses.

I hadn't been at the site for three days and was impressed by the growth of the pup ... he's getting pretty large now.

Not long after I arrived the pup had a feed and following this, both mum and pup headed for the water .... I thought we were about to capture on film a swim ... but no ... who should appear to spoil the party ... the bull. He had already had a disagreement with the female and was in the area. As soon as he saw the female heading for the surf he came in at a fast pace. Another tussle took place and the pup headed out of the surf for the safety of the beach and a milk fuelled snooze.

However, the cow and bull had other plans and after some more scrapping, they ended up in a mating 'clinch' in the shallow water and surf.

............... guess what ............. I caught all this on my digital video camera !

Caroline got to the cove at 7.45am to find mum at the waters edge and the pup on the beach, pup did try and get to the water about half an hour later but mum intervened!
At about 8.45am pup had a brief feed at the waters edge and followed it up with 45 minutes of 'paddling' in the shallow water. The paddling came to an abrupt end when the bull became too close to shore and after a brief but very aggressive fight where the bull was given a bite on the neck that drew blood (see Tim Stanger's pic above), he left. The pup had been left safely in the shallows while this went on.

Everything calmed down after this and about an hour later pup decided to make his way back to the beach where he appeared to hide behind a rock! Poor mum spent 5 minutes wandering up and down the beach until she found him. It was at this point that I came along.

Everything was calm for about half an hour so we had plenty of tie to chat with visitors and compare notes on how much pup had grown, the bull had been around most of this time but had stayed some way off shore. All this changed when he appeared to make another effort to get closer to the female by determinedly coming out of the shallow water and being very vocal. She was still having none of it and after charging down the beach while shouting back at him he seemed to decide that he didn't really fancy another bite, and retreated.

Pup dozed off to sleep while mum stayed at the waters edge and kept an eye on the male. The male seemed to change his tactics at this point whereby he swam around stopping to give her long lingering looks, and it seems they paid off!! At 11.25am the female swam out to the male. They retreated along the rocks a little way where they spent an intimate 25 mins of play fighting with lots of splashing and grunts, and a lot of time floating together appearing to cuddle each other face to face. This prompted the discussion of whether seals copulated in the 'missionary position', I think we agreed to it being an 'intimate moment' without getting too technical about it. At about 11.45 they both made their way back towards the beach but stayed in the shallows, mum was definitely keeping between male and pup though. Pup woke up and made his way to the waters edge but mum hurried up to him and stopped him from going in, it was at this point she decided that the male had got quite close enough and he was yet again told in no uncertain circumstances to 'clear off'.

All in all a very entertaining morning with all the ingredients of a blockbuster, violence, sex, humour and a really cute leading actor to go "aaahh" at!

Medics - Sue Davie & Caroline Weir

Medic Reports Pup Swimming !

7th October 2004
Arriving at the beach at 07:45, I saw that mum and pup were further down the beach than usual, resting amongst some boulders. At least four broad tracks were visible on the sand, suggesting that an active night had been had at the beach - some of the locals subsequently told me that the seals had been calling loudly at 2am. As the tide slowly crept in, the onlookers began to ask what would happen if the pup remained in the boulders and was cut off from the beach. We needn't have worried. At about 08:30, the pup slowly
manoeuvred itself off the rock and into the water. It rested on a submerged rock for a while, and then mum nudged it firmly in the direction of shore - for a moment it left the seabed and swam a short way unsupported. At 08:40, mum and pup were safely in the shallows and the pup was suckling while still partly in the sea. One of the male seals appeared shortly offshore and mum shuffled off towards it, into the water. To our surprise, the pup followed after mum, and very quickly left the support of the seabed and moved out
into the water! It was swimming! Initially, the pup seemed a little tentative and stayed alongside the rocks. But it soon gained confidence, and mum quickly returned to assist it. They moved steadily out into the
water together, the pup occasionally rolling and splashing the water as if in play and frequently rubbing noses with mum as if for reassurance.

Eventually, the pup was brave enough to venture out of known territory and swim into the next cove along the cliff to the left of the beach, with mum following suit and the male seal also keeping an eye on the pair. The pup then managed to haul out in that cove and rested for a little while on rocks covered in seaweed. Mum and the male were both in close proximity. After about 15 min rest, the pup launched itself back into the water and swam all the way back to the beach again, with mum alongside. At times, the pup looked almost like a grown-up seal, swimming confidently along the surface with its nostrils exposed to the air. Its coat is also changing - several dark mottled patches were visible on its back today. The pair finally hauled out on the beach at about 10:45, and remained sleeping until I left the beach at 11:30. The excitement of the swim had obviously got the better of the pup!

I attach a few photos - sorry they are not very good! I did take some on my large camera but it is slide film so I won't get them back for at least a week. These ones were taken on my little point&shoot digital camera - one of the mum and the male on the beach, and two of the seal pup on its way back up the beach after completing its first swim!! The male seal hauled out twice while the female and pup were on the beach - both times she showed aggression towards the male when he came very close, but she now seems to be
tolerating him within a metre of herself and within 2 or 3 metres of the pup.

Caroline Weir - BDMLR Marine Mammal Medic

click pics for larger images

All quiet today. Pup and mum spent much of the day resting between feeds. Late in the evening the bull was observed on the beach and did give the pup a 'nuzzle' ... quite roughly. The pup appears to be uninjured.

Video (4min 14secs) now available of pup and cow 'relaxing' after the storm - 4th October.

Large ( 5.3Mb ) click HERE to view

Small ( 805kb ) click HERE to view

Well, the South West was battered last night by strong winds. We were very concerned that the high tide at 10.00am combined with the strong winds would swamp the small beach that the pup is on. Plymouth Coordinator, Arie den Hollander, was at the location early and called me with his worries that the conditions were looking very bad. I dashed down from Exmouth and got to the site at 10.25hrs. Thankfully ....... the weather front had moved over quickly and about half an hour before high tide ... the winds dramatically dropped and our pup and mum were safe. Phew ! The sun came out, blue skies took over and the whole scene looked great quite quickly.

As well as pup, mum and bull there were at least two other seals in the cove this morning. One looked like an immature bull and the other a small pale 'female'. Possibly one of last years pups.

A steady stream of local people and those who have found out where the site is, continued to come and watch seals. They are being informed by BDMLR Medics about the situation and given leaflets.

Tony Woodley was at the cove just after 8.00am with Scott Bartlett of BTA (BDMLR Sponsor). The storm had not come ashore at this time and all was well with pup and mother at the beach. The bull was very obvious and made a number of approaches to the female .... which she mostly repelled !

At about 10.00am the mother fed the pup and then made her way into the water to keep watch from the surf. The pup was very active during this morning period, yawning, stretching and investigating the seaweed on the shore.

Even in the very wet weather there have been quite a few people coming to view the scene. Medics Gemma Barker, Jemma Box, Julie Finlayson (partner of Medic Trevor Gorsey) and Gordon Caunter all took part in Pupwatch today.

Video (2mins 18secs) now available of pup and cow, including pup feeding - 2nd October.

Large ( 5.8Mb ) click HERE to view

Small ( 882kb ) click HERE to view

Coordinator Tony Woodley spent from 12.40pm to 4.30pm at the site and was joined by Medic Rachel Smith from 3.30pm. With the tide low, mother and pup were sleeping at the high tide mark. The pup occasionally shuffled around and at 4.00pm had a feed. After this the mother made her way partially down the beach.

Rachel Smith stayed at the site until 8.00pm and was accompanied by Paul Bailey (local resident) for the final hour. Unfortunately during this time, at about 6.00pm, a member of the public allowed their terrier to run loose and get directly between the pup and mother. Both seals were affected by this and the mother headed straight for the water. The pup also moved down the beach and got close to the incoming tide. The owner of the dog didn't help by shrieking at her dog !

Thankfully, the last report from Paul Bailey (9.15pm) was that the pup had returned to the safe corner of the beach, mother lying next to it. The bull seal has been in the area and was last seen lying a few yards from the pair. This bull quite clearly has mating intentions towards the female. Two other seals were seen offshore this evening.

Sundays high tide at 9.30am will be the critical point as the storm approaching will be at its height. The high tide is 1.0m lower on Sunday morning than today. Tony Woodley will be at the scene at first light to check on the situation.

Syan Tapp - Medic

Gemma Barker - Medic

Dave Sanders - Medic/HM Coastguard

Jemma Box - Medic

Mike Skelly - Medic ( & family)

Sue Davie - Medic

Marilyn den Hollander

John Murphy ( diver from London ! )

Clare Toffolo - Medic

Sharon Gardner - Medic

Carole Platt - Medic

Hugh Miller - Medic

Andy Pittway - Medic

James Bauer - Medic

Gavin Black - Medic ( & Devon Wildlife Trust )

Dave & Linda Hawkins (local residents)

Paul Bailey (local resident/restaurant owner)