Although we may be bemoaning the end of summer, the autumn brings with it one of our most treasured wildlife delights – the seal pupping season. Most of our seal pups are born on the safe and secluded Calf of Man and for the last two years the Manx Wildlife Trust has carried out a monitoring programme for them. Grey seals spend most of their time at sea, but females give birth to their white, fluffy pups on land. This gives us a wonderful opportunity to count the number of pups that are born, observe their behaviour and identify the adults that turn this small islet into a seal nursery for the next couple of months. Last week saw the first of our volunteers brave the rough journey over to the Calf, but the news from the wardens that the first pup had been born brought great excitement. By the end of the week, there were already eight pups, at six different locations round the Calf. Last year there were thirty seven pups in total, so this is a good, healthy start. We haven’t yet had the chance to see whether any of these new mothers have been seen round the island before, but there are several characters from previous years that we are hoping to see again. It is usual for females to go back to the same place every year to give birth and even return to the beach they themselves were born on. Every year there are a few seal pups born on other beaches round the mainland. Although they look cute and harmless, and are lovely sight to see, they can be aggressive so please don’t approach them. Their mothers will also abandon their pup if it has been unduly disturbed, so it’s important to keep dogs away from them too. It is usual for the mothers to leave them alone for a while on the beach, so there is no need to be alarmed if they appear to be on their own, their mum is probably not far away. However if you are concerned that a pup has been abandoned or is injured, please contact the MSPCA who will assess the situation. ENDS