This is the same mother and pup as shown on the home page. I spent more than 2 hours lying on my stomach with this pair and they presented me with some wonderful images. Cute or what?

Photo Notes:

You may be wondering about the tea tray. I wanted to be at eye level so I enclosed the camera and lens in a plastic protective cover to keep salt spray and sand at bay. I enclosed myself in about 5 layers of clothing and a waterproof motorcycle over-suit. I then placed the camera on a bean bag on a tea tray. Laying prone, I was then able to stomach-crawl to within about 40-50 feet of the seals sliding the equipment in front of me. I could have got closer but I really didn't want to stress the animals and I wanted them to behave naturally. Hence the long lens combination. 

The seals, though fully aware of my presence, were completely un-phased. They continued to snooze, suckle and behaved quite normally. At times, both the mother and the pup attempted to get closer to me, probably out of curiosity rather than aggression. Each time they did so, I stomach-crawled backwards to keep the same distance. One aspect my photos can't convey is the sound. The plaintive calling of the seals, day and night, was utterly haunting and memorable.  A marvellous experience.   Compiled March 2006

Grey Seal Pup Dribbling Milk After Feed. Canon D30. 300mm F4 L USM plus 1.4x Converter. 1/400 sec at f9. ISO 100

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