counting seals

[Ian Bond]

As I?m sure you will be aware, INCA has been overseeing the Tees Seals monitoring programme for many years.  The programme itself involves a monitoring protocol over low tide from mid June to mid Sept and gives a detailed picture of seal haul-out numbers at those times.  As I?m sure you?re also aware, some seals are also hauling out during the remainder of the year and at other states of tide and we would like to get an idea of how many.

If anyone is able to make a count of the seals while you are out birding please could you e-mail me the details at ian.bond@inca.uk.com  and I will compile the data with a view to including it in the annual seals report.   While these counts wont be as structured as those of the seal monitoring project, if several counts can be achieved each month then some patterns may emerge and we will at least be able to get maximum counts for each month.

As well as the total number of seals counted could you include date and time (so that the tidal state can be worked out) and location.  Locations would be one of the following three areas: Greatham Creek, the whole area upstream from the road bridge; Seal Sands as a whole, which can be best seen from the sea wall hide at Greenabella; The spit of land on the south side of Seaton Channel, opposite Seaton Snook Island (NB this shouldn?t be counted as part of Seal Sands).

Thank you for any help that you are able to give with this.  If you would like to see the 2015 Tees Seals Report, it can be downloaded from the INCA website at http://www.inca.uk.com/reports/
Ian Bond