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The pupping period of the grey seals has started.

Four days ago,in early morning, the camera turned on for a moment but went off as soon. The weather in the weekend was stormy but the Internet connection worked.

Perhaps there will be some time in the weekend when the weather allows the reason to be found and when we know the reason we will see what and how to handle it further

I have followed the seal camera at Innarahu on the Saaremaa western coast constantly besides the other Looduskalender web cameras.

At the moment I see on the screen grey geese, mallards, mew gulls, great black-backed gulls and herring gulls, arctic terns and oystercatchers and at sea the male eiders that begin their moulting.

Most of them besides the terns and oystercatchers are non-breeding ”lazers” that are in no hurry anywhere and with the foraging raids of white-tailed eagles on the islets the only worry.

The seal rookery on December 18,  the last ”working day” of the camera

Grey seal          Hallhüljes      Halichoerus grypus

The seal rookery on December 18th, the last ”working day” of the camera

Gray seal       Hallhüljes       Halichoerus grypus

The whole of autumn and early winter one storm has chased another, sunshine has been scarce.

Grey seal        Hallhüljes           Halichoerus grypus

Grey seal        Hallhüljes        Halichoerus grypus

As we have already written,  the females feed the pups for about three weeks, then the heat period begins. The large male seals of course fight for the females, driving off their rivals in order to be in the right place at the right time. The really large seal bulls have no bonds to the following generations and they may weigh up to three hundred kilos. The neck folds are sometimes scarred from bloody fights with each other.

Seal bull guarding his ”harem”

Grey seal     Hallhüljes          Halichoerus grypus   

I asked seal researcher Ivar Jüssi who visited the isle on March 1 for observations when the peak of the mating period of the greys might come.

Seal counters arrive

Grey seal         Hallhüljes       Halichoerus grypus

The weather was ideal for observations, southerly wind  4m/s, air temperature +2 degrees and water temperature one degree lower.

The result of the census today (March 1st) was 53 grey seal pups and some stillborns.

Eight pups came to show themselves in camera view today. The peak pupping period is in about a week.

Grey seal        Hallhüljes        Halichoerus grypus

Yesterday (Sunday 26th) the placenta was left behind after the female seal had given birth (see Saturday's video story ). It was left on the beach rocks about ten minutes after the pupping.