A Seal’s life!
The Beaulieu River boat trips on Lazy Daze continue to be a firm favourite in the diary, with no two trips the same. In this piece I want to highlight some of the special wildlife that occurs on this wonderful stretch of river (and I am not talking about our famed skipper, Jeff aka Captain Cod).
Whilst out on the water you could be forgiven for thinking that you are in some far-flung remote corner of the UK rather than smack in the middle of busy, over developed central southern England. The river simply feels wild; with limited access it has become a sanctuary for a host of wildlife. These things don’t happen by accident, it is down to careful management by the Beaulieu Estate and Natural England that keep this lovely hidden gem a haven for some of our most sensitive species. The river has many designations ensuring protection including SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), SPA (Special Protection Area) and is managed as part of the North Solent National Nature Reserve.
But let’s look at some of the iconic wildlife that highlights the beauty of this wonderful stretch of water. Firm favourites are the Seals with both Common and Grey Seal seen on most trips. It can be hard to believe that as recently as a decade ago seeing a Seal in the Solent was notable, now it is thought unusual not to see a Seal. We had a red-letter day on 6th Jan this year when we found a freshly born Grey Seal pup on the river, the first successful breeding attempt in our region in living memory. The young Seal continues to thrive in the area being regularly seen hanging out with a group of Common Seals and also recently observed on the other side of the Solent in Newtown Harbour. Following the birth of the pup, two pairs of Grey Seal were observed copulating, so hopefully this is the start of a new colony.
If this wasn’t enough, we were delighted on 6th July to observe a Common Seal Pup freshly born close by which is still seen occasionally but is far more mobile. To have both Grey and Common Seal produce pups on the river is exceptional and demonstrates that the river is in good condition.
The ecology of Grey and Common Seals are quite different, they follow different cycles and seasons but in basic terms they have similar needs. So, what do Seals need from an area to thrive? Both need quiet undisturbed areas to haul out and digest; these haul-outs are especially important when in moult. Seals can appear fearless but in fact are very sensitive to disturbance, especially when vulnerable in the haul-out and away from the water where they can be remarkably fleet of foot! They also need a good source of food and the Beaulieu
River certainly provides that, again demonstrating that the river is in good condition. We frequently observe the Seals feeding and have notched up an impressive list of prey species from Bass and Smooth-Hound to Cuttlefish and Spotted Ray. So, in short, Seals main need is peace and quiet and a constant reliable supply of fish.
Images: Grey Seal with pup and Common Seal with pup, Beaulieu River 2024 © Wild New Forest Guided Tours
Through July and August, the Common Seals are in heavy moult and during this period they spend even more time hauled out. On the face of it, high summer seems like an unusual time to moult out of your winter coat. However, there is a lag and the ambient temperature of the water takes time to warm up, reaching the warmest point as we move into the autumn.
Many of the Seals on the river have distinctive fur and markings which are individually identifiable while some have scarring which enables us to keep an eye on and track individuals. On the river itself we have four regular Grey Seal and three regular Common Seal that have favoured regular haul-outs which we monitor. We frequently record our regulars over in Newtown Harbour, and Vice versa we occasionally record distinctive individuals from Newtown Harbour on the river showing that there is regular movement between the two locations. One particular river regular has been recorded at Newtown Harbour, Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve and Hurst Castle. However this should come as no surprise - elsewhere in their range both Common and Grey Seals are frequently recorded moving up to 100km on hunting trips. The fact that our regulars don’t appear to move very far highlights just how well suited and healthy the Beaulieu River is.
We keep a rough database on movements and activities of the regular Seals on the river which has helped us build a greater appreciation of these magnificent and characterful animals. Just as with humans, each has their own personality from bold and aggressive to cheeky and playful. On one memorable boat trip we watched the Grey Seal pup getting playful with her dozing companions who showed no interest so went to repeatedly climb and slide down the bank. This behaviour undoubtedly serves a purpose but from the outside was very entertaining to watch.
Seals aren’t the only mammals recorded using the river. To date we have recorded two Roe Deer swimming across the river (possibly the same buck on both occasions) and more memorably a Grey Squirrel swimming across one of the wider sections of the river on a dropping tide when in full flow. We also frequently record Fox, Fallow, Muntjac and occasionally Sika Deer.
While on the river it is important to give the Seals space, they appear large and fearless but are in fact easily stressed. When on river trips we always give them space and we never linger. It is on all river users to ensure the Seals are given the respect and security they deserve. The Seals on the river are watched and monitored so do enjoy watching them but always from safe distance; if they show any signs of agitation please move on.
Young Persons Wildlife Camp
Applications are now open for our next Wild New Forest Young Persons Wildlife Camp over the weekend of 25-27 Oct 2024, based at Cameron’s Cottage, RSPB Franchises Lodge and kindly sponsored by the Cameron Bespolka Trust. With an all-inclusive participation fee of just £25 per person, this weekend is especially for young wildlife enthusiasts aged between 12 and 18. We will be running a range of activities including bird ringing, moth trapping, mammal camera trapping, bioblitz, fieldcraft and advice on career progression. Places are limited, the application form (deadline 15 October) can be downloaded at https://www.wildnewforest.co.uk/get-involved
Image: Moulting Common Seal at haul-out, Beaulieu River 2024 © Wild New Forest Guided Tours
Wildlife Explorers Club
The Wildlife Explorers Club continues to go from strength to strength. We held a couple of events in August including a fun session looking at Tree ID in the copse at Hockeys Farm. I think it is fair to say we all learnt something on day and (as is often the case at these event) we found a broad mix of wildlife including a Red Listed Spider (Burnt Wolf Spider), a mix of interesting fungi and a good selection of birds.
The latest Wildlife Explorers Club newsletter can be found here, details, and application form for the club can be found on our website here.
The Young Explorers Club is made possible thanks to funding and support from the following organisations:
August walk highlights
August was another largely dry and settled month. Overall we managed to run eleven walks, six boat trips, two bespoke walks and two young persons/family events.
The Beaulieu River trips are always a highlight and August is a great time to be out on the water. This month the Seals were seen on every trip; avian highlights included a good mix of raptors and some showy Sandwich Terns feeding along the river while returning wildfowl and waders were also a feature with Whimbrel in particular seen very well on most trips.
Our series of ID walks continued with a fun Tree ID walk at Millyford Bridge, a great area to explore the diversity and ecology of a broad range of species. We also held our last Nightjar walks of the year with some great experiences; one walk in particular produced some of the best sightings we have had of Nightjar as we emersed ourselves into the world of crepuscular species. Returning to the car park at the end of the walk felt like a jolt back into reality!
Images: Pied Flycatcher, Parachute Fungi, Whimbrel & Field Gentian, August 2024 © Wild New Forest Guided Tours
August fieldwork
August is a slightly quieter month for fieldwork with the main focus being bird ringing at the coast. This month we ran our last CES (Constant Effort Survey) session of the year. The CES produced good numbers, but overall numbers of juveniles seem down when compared to recent years. Although we have a lot of data to sift through so we will report back in full in due course.
The ringing of migrants at Keyhaven and Normandy Marsh continues. The highlight of the month for me was a lovely young male Pied Flycatcher but we have also had a good mix of other species with higher-than-average numbers of Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Cetti’s Warbler. We continue to get a good number of ringing recoveries including some excellent Sandwich Tern recoveries.
This year we colour-ringed 73 Sandwich Tern chicks at the two colonies at the mouth of the Lymington River equating to approximately 10% of the chicks produced this year. We have had an excellent run of recoveries from eight counts (Lincs, Norfolk, Sussex, Hants, Dorset, Devon, Carmathanshire & Powys) showing great dispersal of juveniles. These individuals will shortly be embarking on their long journey down to the west coast of Africa (last year a Sandwich Tern ringed at Lymington was recorded on the coast at The Gambia).
Looking ahead
We are very excited about the forthcoming fungi season; we have made a couple of recces and there is already a good selection of fungi out there. We are running trips from four locations this year, with our first event on Saturday 14th Sep at Eyeworth Pond. As always the fungi will be identified from macro features alone, we won’t be picking fungi on any walks, there will be plenty of time for guests to take photos and we will send around a full species list after the walk. Spaces are quickly being booked, see upcoming tours at the bottom of the newsletter for a full set of dates.
Other events that we are looking forward to include the Wader ID Course scheduled for Sun 6th Oct. The course comprises a presentation over a cooked breakfast looking at key features before heading out into the field to put what we have learnt to the test. Another highlight is the annual Halloween Wildlife Adventure which is always good fun for all the family; late October is a great time of year to be out, there is plenty to be seen and we promise not to scare you with too many tales of sorcery!
Our current schedule of events and access to our booking platform can be reached via our website at https://www.wildnewforest.co.uk/event-calendar
Wild New Forest Facebook highlights
Many thanks to everyone who contributes and helps keep it such a varied, interesting and
educational site. Please continue to post your interesting sightings and images and as always please include the story behind the photograph.
This month’s most popular post was the excellent image of a Nightjar, by Ian Wells, demonstrating their large gape that helps with their efficiency of catching large flying insects at dawn and dusk.
Reviews
Many thanks to everyone who takes the time to leave a review on TripAdvisor. We are proud to receive the Travellers Choice award for 2024; all our reviews can be found here
New forest guided walk. (posted 17 Aug 2024)
The guide was very knowledgeable about the area and cares deeply about the local environment in the new forest. I have never visited the area before and learnt a great deal about the ecology of the area, it's plants and wildlife. Really enjoyed the experience.
Volunteer opportunity!
Thanks to funding support from the New Forest Biodiversity Forum, The Coastal Forum are looking for six Coastal Reserve Engagement Volunteers to cover the Hurst and Keyhaven area. For further information or an application form please contact us at info@wildnewforest.co.uk
Wild New Forest Guided Tours follow and endorse the New Forest Code
Comments