Rhinns Lighthouse and Mackenzie Island

It was a lovely spring day yesterday so we went down to Portnahaven - this is the Rhinns Lighhouse on Orsay island with Mackenzie island in front of it.

There were a couple of groups of seals hauled out on Mackenzie.  Would not like to say whether they were Grey of Common - a bit too far away to determine head shape or nostril alignment...

That is Frenchman's Rock in the distance - one of the best sea-watching spots on the west coast.  Check out its location on a map and you will see why.  In an onshore breeze thousands of birds are funnelled through the passage.  Seawatchers have to be brave in a stiff wind however - and have plenty of dry hankies to keep the binoculars from salting up...

It was not a particularly windy day yesterday, not by Islay standards anyway.  The waves however, were something else...
Carl

Young Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus). Nostrils are the key to ID

Thanks to Bob Davison for this picture of a young grey seal (above).  One of the best ways to tell a young Grey seal from a Common seal (Phoca vitulina) is to look at its nostrils.  The Greys have nostrils that are kind of parallel, whereas those of the common are much more V-shaped and almost meet at the bottom (below).

However, that's all very well if you have an obliging seal that does not mind having its nasal appendages examined in some detail.  This is not always that easy to do.  As usual with these little identification issues, it is always easy to tell a common seal from a grey seal when you are in the pub, but it is not always quite so easy when you are in the field...  Full adults are less of a problem - the greys are much bigger for a start....  Well, usually....

Seals can of course 'seal' their nostrils while underwater.  They can also sleep while holding themselves vertically in the water with their heads above the surface - but only for around 90 seconds at a time...

Grey Seal - Sanaigmore

This was taken up at Sanaigmore yesterday.  There is some great BBC live video from Orkney following the Grey seal pupping season right now.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/uk/webcams/

More Grey seal photos

Ardnave - October 2010

Young Grey Seal - Ardnave

Grey Seal at Ardnave

This Grey seal was on the beach at Ardnave last weekend.
Carl

Grey Seal pup at Ardnave

Came across Mum and pup in a gully near Ardnave Point.  There were good numbers of grey seals all around the peninsular - both in and out of the water....  The Scientific name for Grey seal is Halichoerus grypus, meaning "hooked-nosed sea pig".  Which is a bit unfair in my view....
Carl