1 00:00:39,340 --> 00:00:41,682 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Hello, happy new year and welcome to the 2 00:00:41,702 --> 00:00:45,445 National Trust Podcast. I'm Michelle Douglass. Before we get 3 00:00:45,465 --> 00:00:48,568 on with the story, I quickly wanted to share with you that in 4 00:00:48,648 --> 00:00:52,131 March this year, the National Trust Podcast will be changing 5 00:00:52,251 --> 00:00:55,533 so we can bring you more immersive tales in nature, 6 00:00:55,654 --> 00:00:57,255 history and adventure. 7 00:00:57,855 --> 00:01:00,898 This strand will become our nature podcast, The Wild World 8 00:01:01,098 --> 00:01:04,721 Of... And look out for our new history podcast, Back When. 9 00:01:05,302 --> 00:01:08,540 Remember to follow either show in your favourite podcast app to 10 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,322 be the first to hear new stories when they arrive. 11 00:01:11,822 --> 00:01:16,766 Now, on with today's podcast. In this favourite episode, we're 12 00:01:16,806 --> 00:01:20,729 travelling to Blakeney Point on England's east coast to discover 13 00:01:20,809 --> 00:01:25,052 how this seemingly inhospitable shingle spit is home to one of 14 00:01:25,052 --> 00:01:29,875 the UK's biggest and fluffiest natural phenomena every winter. 15 00:01:30,675 --> 00:01:33,337 We'll be following Blakeney Nature Reserve through every 16 00:01:33,457 --> 00:01:37,848 season to uncover the spectacles and secrets of life on this 17 00:01:37,988 --> 00:01:38,829 rugged landscape. 18 00:01:39,289 --> 00:01:43,573 Be prepared, this is nature at its fullest, so at times things 19 00:01:43,633 --> 00:01:45,274 get a little bit gritty. 20 00:01:54,141 --> 00:01:58,604 Every year in deepest darkest winter, this flat, unassuming 21 00:01:58,704 --> 00:02:02,107 pebble shoreline becomes the stage for one of the UK's 22 00:02:02,247 --> 00:02:06,921 greatest shows. Visitors peer from ferries to catch a glimpse 23 00:02:06,921 --> 00:02:10,383 of the scene, phones held high and cameras clicking to capture 24 00:02:10,403 --> 00:02:14,706 the action unfolding on the beach. The coastline is packed 25 00:02:14,726 --> 00:02:19,089 with around 4,000 plump, white-coated, impossibly fluffy 26 00:02:19,629 --> 00:02:20,329 seal pups. 27 00:02:22,951 --> 00:02:26,313 It's grey seal pupping season and Blakeney Point in Norfolk is 28 00:02:26,373 --> 00:02:28,874 one of the world's most important sites for the 29 00:02:28,914 --> 00:02:30,595 charismatic marine mammals. 30 00:02:33,644 --> 00:02:36,945 But what most people don't get to see is the story behind this 31 00:02:37,005 --> 00:02:38,125 spectacle each winter. 32 00:02:39,606 --> 00:02:42,887 Blakeney National Nature Reserve is not only part of a designated 33 00:02:43,047 --> 00:02:46,208 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, but a remarkable 34 00:02:46,288 --> 00:02:50,149 conservation success story. And the best way to discover what 35 00:02:50,209 --> 00:02:54,250 makes this place so unique is to journey through a year on this 36 00:02:54,330 --> 00:02:57,571 remote stretch of coast through the eyes of the people who look 37 00:02:57,651 --> 00:03:00,732 after, work and even live out here through the changing 38 00:03:00,852 --> 00:03:01,392 seasons. 39 00:03:04,352 --> 00:03:09,275 This story really starts on a cold February day. I'm in a Land 40 00:03:09,335 --> 00:03:13,618 Rover with Ranger Duncan Halpin, and I'm feeling a little nervous 41 00:03:13,758 --> 00:03:16,780 about the essential but grisly job we're here to do. 42 00:03:19,002 --> 00:03:22,384 DUNCAN HALPIN: We're driving along Blakeney Point. There's 43 00:03:22,404 --> 00:03:26,007 about three miles of shingle stretching out in front of us. 44 00:03:26,747 --> 00:03:30,069 Salt marsh gleaming an almost golden colour in the low 45 00:03:30,189 --> 00:03:34,112 sunlight. And then the North Sea, which is looking almost 46 00:03:34,112 --> 00:03:36,214 temptingly blue. 47 00:03:36,314 --> 00:03:38,675 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Duncan pulls up the Land Rover and attaches a 48 00:03:38,715 --> 00:03:42,558 trailer to the back. We're met by a hardy band of rangers and 49 00:03:42,618 --> 00:03:46,661 volunteers here to help with the task. The kit we'll need for the 50 00:03:46,681 --> 00:03:50,424 job is handed around the group. It's pretty basic. A pair of 51 00:03:50,464 --> 00:03:54,366 gloves and some thick black bin liners. Then we set off. 52 00:03:56,548 --> 00:03:59,470 We've come a little bit back, past the dunes to the marshes. 53 00:04:00,211 --> 00:04:01,632 DUNCAN HALPIN: There's a great example of why we're doing it 54 00:04:01,632 --> 00:04:02,072 just up here. 55 00:04:02,488 --> 00:04:05,370 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: The annual seal carcass clear-up is vital 56 00:04:05,451 --> 00:04:09,314 conservation work here at Blakeney. Sadly, not all the 57 00:04:09,374 --> 00:04:12,617 seal pups born during pupping season will make it beyond the 58 00:04:12,697 --> 00:04:14,838 first few crucial weeks of life. 59 00:04:15,499 --> 00:04:19,302 DUNCAN HALPIN: A very ripe carcass in front of us, let's 60 00:04:19,322 --> 00:04:23,426 say, and you can actually see all the little rat prints coming 61 00:04:23,466 --> 00:04:26,728 down from the burrow and then round the carcass. So the rats 62 00:04:26,728 --> 00:04:29,431 in that burrow have just been feeding on this carcass, so 63 00:04:29,491 --> 00:04:31,012 they'll just be able to multiply. 64 00:04:31,488 --> 00:04:33,290 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: If the carcasses were left here, they'd 65 00:04:33,330 --> 00:04:36,932 provide food for the rat population to grow. And too many 66 00:04:37,053 --> 00:04:40,575 rats could threaten the huge colony of terns that in a few 67 00:04:40,635 --> 00:04:44,098 months will also use Blakeney as their breeding grounds, since 68 00:04:44,178 --> 00:04:48,822 rats will eat bird eggs and even chicks. So this grim task of 69 00:04:48,862 --> 00:04:52,325 removing the seal carcasses is actually clearing the way for 70 00:04:52,445 --> 00:04:54,006 new wildlife to thrive here. 71 00:04:55,768 --> 00:04:57,989 They've got a good chance of survival, but sadly this one 72 00:04:58,450 --> 00:04:59,271 didn't quite make it. 73 00:04:59,651 --> 00:05:03,117 DUNCAN HALPIN: Yeah, absolutely. Part and parcel of the of nature 74 00:05:03,117 --> 00:05:06,058 if you like. During the popping the mortality here runs at 75 00:05:06,138 --> 00:05:09,780 something like five percent which is quite low really. 76 00:05:10,260 --> 00:05:12,341 Places I've worked in the past like the Farne Islands, some 77 00:05:12,381 --> 00:05:16,463 years the mortality for pups there can be up to 40 percent. 78 00:05:17,243 --> 00:05:20,744 Majority here will go on to live happy, healthy seal lives. 79 00:05:22,245 --> 00:05:24,266 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Blakeney Point's abundance of space and 80 00:05:24,386 --> 00:05:28,968 food makes it a palatial and popular pupping site. Grey seals 81 00:05:29,008 --> 00:05:32,449 spend most of their lives at sea but during breeding season they 82 00:05:32,509 --> 00:05:36,291 come ashore for a dramatic and intense life cycle played out in 83 00:05:36,271 --> 00:05:40,194 a few short weeks, as Dr Debbie Russell, deputy director of the 84 00:05:40,274 --> 00:05:43,856 Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrews University, explains. 85 00:05:46,217 --> 00:05:50,360 DEBBIE RUSSELL: Grey seals, they pup in autumn and winter. The 86 00:05:50,380 --> 00:05:53,482 females give birth to a single white-coated pup. We call it 87 00:05:53,482 --> 00:05:57,104 lanugo, the coat. The females lose over a third of their body 88 00:05:57,164 --> 00:06:00,754 weight, giving the pup the milk. So after weaning, the females 89 00:06:00,774 --> 00:06:03,135 come into oestrus, which means they're ready to mate with a 90 00:06:03,155 --> 00:06:03,415 male. 91 00:06:04,355 --> 00:06:07,596 Male seals, which we call bulls, have a group of females that 92 00:06:07,637 --> 00:06:10,698 they will try and mate with. There may be kind of one big 93 00:06:10,798 --> 00:06:13,859 male, one beach master that tries to basically control the 94 00:06:13,959 --> 00:06:17,401 access to any of these females. You can often identify the kind 95 00:06:17,401 --> 00:06:21,222 of older males by the scars that they have. The pups are left on 96 00:06:21,202 --> 00:06:22,303 the colony alone. 97 00:06:24,483 --> 00:06:26,604 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: First seal down and starting to push any 98 00:06:26,744 --> 00:06:30,807 squeamishness aside, I team up with a fellow newbie to scour 99 00:06:30,847 --> 00:06:32,469 the beach for more carcasses. 100 00:06:32,889 --> 00:06:36,572 SUE GREGORY: Hello, my name's Sue. I'm a volunteer. I'm really 101 00:06:36,632 --> 00:06:42,117 interested in seals, so to be able to come out, actually be 102 00:06:42,197 --> 00:06:46,801 with like-minded people who also love seals, and be able to talk 103 00:06:46,941 --> 00:06:49,163 seals is really, really good. 104 00:06:49,843 --> 00:06:52,405 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: In fact, if you're a seal superfan like Sue, 105 00:06:52,906 --> 00:06:56,369 the clear-up even offers an intriguing lesson in anatomy. 106 00:06:57,661 --> 00:07:00,083 SUE GREGORY: Oh here's my first dead seal, there's not much of 107 00:07:00,103 --> 00:07:05,228 it left and there's some nice bones. Is that the scapula? The 108 00:07:05,268 --> 00:07:09,351 shoulder bone, that's the humerus, so that's the long 109 00:07:09,612 --> 00:07:10,673 upper arm bone. 110 00:07:12,034 --> 00:07:15,057 Oh dear it's smelly. There we are. 111 00:07:16,158 --> 00:07:17,979 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: The team spends the next few hours 112 00:07:18,059 --> 00:07:19,841 spreading out and sweeping the beach. 113 00:07:20,922 --> 00:07:21,743 Found another one. 114 00:07:21,983 --> 00:07:25,925 The clear up is physically hard work. Picking up carcasses and 115 00:07:25,985 --> 00:07:29,747 heaving the heavy bags over the sand dunes to the trailer. And 116 00:07:29,747 --> 00:07:33,708 then doing it all again and again until finally Operation 117 00:07:33,868 --> 00:07:35,348 Seal Clear-Ups complete. 118 00:07:42,350 --> 00:07:44,891 CHRIS BIELBY: Pretty much the last of a grizzly hole. 119 00:07:45,491 --> 00:07:48,212 Shattered now. I'm Chris Bielby, I'm the Countryside Manager for 120 00:07:48,212 --> 00:07:49,252 the Norfolk Coast and Broads. 121 00:07:50,233 --> 00:07:51,213 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: And now what happens? 122 00:07:51,513 --> 00:07:54,594 CHRIS BIELBY: So they will be taken back to our yard at Friary 123 00:07:54,654 --> 00:07:57,735 Farm in Blakeney, and we have a specialist contractor who's 124 00:07:57,795 --> 00:08:00,055 brought a skip, and they will then go in the skip with a 125 00:08:00,095 --> 00:08:02,216 special lid put on top, and then they will take them away and 126 00:08:02,716 --> 00:08:03,817 dispose of them suitably. 127 00:08:04,797 --> 00:08:07,197 You'd think that doing this job, the atmosphere would be really 128 00:08:07,278 --> 00:08:10,418 sombre, but actually everybody's been fairly upbeat. When the 129 00:08:10,438 --> 00:08:13,299 tern colony arises, it'll be so important. Really pleased to get 130 00:08:13,299 --> 00:08:13,639 that done. 131 00:08:15,140 --> 00:08:17,020 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: After the beach clean-up, Blakeney Point 132 00:08:17,100 --> 00:08:20,677 stays relatively quiet for the rest of winter. Then, as the 133 00:08:20,757 --> 00:08:24,380 freezing weather melts away in the sunshine, this coastal and 134 00:08:24,500 --> 00:08:29,082 salt marsh habitat bursts into life. Spring has arrived, and 135 00:08:29,142 --> 00:08:32,524 rangers and volunteers begin to prepare for the next big natural 136 00:08:32,564 --> 00:08:37,187 spectacle of the year. But before things get busy, there's 137 00:08:37,227 --> 00:08:40,469 still time for the Blakeney team to enjoy the season at a more 138 00:08:40,669 --> 00:08:41,690 relaxed pace. 139 00:08:46,272 --> 00:08:49,474 If you're an inlander... At this time of year you might get out 140 00:08:49,494 --> 00:08:53,357 and about hiking or biking to see the natural world in full 141 00:08:53,437 --> 00:08:56,959 bloom. But if you live along the North Norfolk coast like 142 00:08:57,020 --> 00:09:00,042 National Trust volunteer Sue Gregory, you might prefer to 143 00:09:00,082 --> 00:09:02,964 take a different mode of transport altogether for a 144 00:09:03,024 --> 00:09:05,545 nature safari with a unique perspective. 145 00:09:06,206 --> 00:09:08,767 SUE GREGORY: This morning I'm going to record some of the 146 00:09:09,308 --> 00:09:12,690 sounds and describe some of the sights as I go kayaking in the 147 00:09:12,730 --> 00:09:14,171 harbour at Blakeney. 148 00:09:14,171 --> 00:09:19,194 It's middle of May. It's just such a lovely morning. 149 00:09:20,715 --> 00:09:24,337 Coming north, I can see the old lifeboat house on Blakeney 150 00:09:24,377 --> 00:09:29,500 Point, that iconic blue building. We have the entrance 151 00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:35,223 to the Clyde Channel, and then just looking round, the East 152 00:09:35,303 --> 00:09:36,744 hills and the pines. 153 00:09:39,626 --> 00:09:43,168 I've now just kayaked across to the Blakeney Point, and I'm just 154 00:09:43,228 --> 00:09:48,771 sitting very quietly over some marsh which is flooded and I'm 155 00:09:48,771 --> 00:09:50,592 now starting to see birds. 156 00:09:54,254 --> 00:09:57,435 I've just had a flock of oyster catchers fly over the top of me. 157 00:09:58,356 --> 00:10:00,957 There were a couple of gulls that were obviously stalking 158 00:10:00,977 --> 00:10:04,059 their nests. And they've just seen them off. 159 00:10:06,360 --> 00:10:10,182 Other birds I've heard were a curlew, and this is an area 160 00:10:10,282 --> 00:10:13,124 where it's quite good to see spoonbills. 161 00:10:17,726 --> 00:10:22,469 Just had a little tern go right in beside me and pull out a 162 00:10:22,509 --> 00:10:27,792 little sand eel, and it's still managing to squeak with its food 163 00:10:27,792 --> 00:10:33,378 in its beak. It's just so nice to sit and float. But I'll have 164 00:10:33,378 --> 00:10:36,460 to put in some effort and then I'll go home for breakfast. 165 00:10:39,161 --> 00:10:41,182 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Over the next few months, the number of 166 00:10:41,242 --> 00:10:45,223 ground-nesting migrant seabirds, terns, arriving at this globally 167 00:10:45,283 --> 00:10:47,764 important site to breed, keeps growing. 168 00:10:49,445 --> 00:10:53,567 It's summer on Blakeney Point. And by now, from shoreline to 169 00:10:53,607 --> 00:10:58,989 dune, this baby boom beach is a frenzy of noisy, feisty families 170 00:10:59,189 --> 00:11:02,471 of the feathered variety. All this action on the beach 171 00:11:02,571 --> 00:11:06,534 requires 24-hour conservation care, such as patrols to keep 172 00:11:06,574 --> 00:11:09,757 away predators, population counts and informing the public. 173 00:11:10,217 --> 00:11:13,640 So Ranger Duncan Halpin leaves all his home comforts to head 174 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,643 off-grid, moving into an old, blue, corrugated metal lifeboat 175 00:11:17,703 --> 00:11:21,326 house where he and two assistant rangers spend eight months of 176 00:11:21,346 --> 00:11:24,749 the year hanging out with some very rowdy neighbours. 177 00:11:25,570 --> 00:11:28,912 DUNCAN HALPIN: My favourite part of the job is probably living on 178 00:11:28,892 --> 00:11:32,623 the Point over summer, being literally stuck amongst the 179 00:11:32,623 --> 00:11:37,207 wildlife. That's an incredibly rewarding experience. Summer on 180 00:11:37,187 --> 00:11:40,830 the Point is an amazing time. There's again huge 181 00:11:40,870 --> 00:11:43,893 concentrations of life and a riot of noise. 182 00:11:45,294 --> 00:11:48,676 We have up to three, four thousand sandwich terns nesting. 183 00:11:49,277 --> 00:11:52,540 They have a really, really distinctive call which it really 184 00:11:52,580 --> 00:11:54,541 is the sound of summer on this bit of coastline. 185 00:11:56,663 --> 00:12:00,966 Little terns are one of the UK's rarest seabirds. They're the 186 00:12:01,086 --> 00:12:04,468 smallest tern in the UK and they make this almost squeaky, I 187 00:12:04,508 --> 00:12:07,550 think it's a bit like a squeaky dog toy, call as they fly over. 188 00:12:08,410 --> 00:12:12,172 We do get the occasional Arctic Tern. The Arctic Tern has the 189 00:12:12,272 --> 00:12:15,554 longest known migration of any animal. At the northern reaches 190 00:12:15,574 --> 00:12:18,636 of their limit, they will effectively fly Pole to Pole 191 00:12:19,056 --> 00:12:19,736 every single year. 192 00:12:20,417 --> 00:12:22,998 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Other sights of summer at Blakeney include an 193 00:12:23,018 --> 00:12:26,800 abundance of colourful coastal butterflies. And splash in the 194 00:12:26,820 --> 00:12:30,482 right puddle on an evening and you might see the sea spa with 195 00:12:30,602 --> 00:12:31,983 blue bioluminescence. 196 00:12:33,723 --> 00:12:37,305 As the long days of summer draw to an end, the landscape changes 197 00:12:37,345 --> 00:12:40,566 again. The thousands of terns take off from their breeding 198 00:12:40,606 --> 00:12:43,568 grounds to head to warmer climes, forming part of the 199 00:12:43,608 --> 00:12:46,489 great late summer migration in UK skies. 200 00:12:47,509 --> 00:12:51,031 As colder weather creeps into the freshwater marshes, eels 201 00:12:51,091 --> 00:12:55,452 begin their epic and mysterious 4,000 mile migration back to the 202 00:12:55,532 --> 00:13:00,178 Sargasso Sea, where they breed a single time before they die. And 203 00:13:00,258 --> 00:13:03,659 rangers have migrated from the remote lifeboat house to the 204 00:13:03,699 --> 00:13:07,500 familiar comforts of the Blakeney ranger hut. Autumn is 205 00:13:07,580 --> 00:13:11,681 here, and the coastline flaunts a seasonal look all of its own. 206 00:13:14,422 --> 00:13:16,502 DUNCAN HALPIN: There are definitely seasons on the Point, 207 00:13:16,523 --> 00:13:19,723 but they're different to, well, what I call the mainland. 208 00:13:20,544 --> 00:13:23,844 There's no trees, you know, turning into autumn colours. The 209 00:13:23,885 --> 00:13:28,226 greens on the salt marsh from plants like samphire and sea 210 00:13:28,266 --> 00:13:31,907 purslane and shrubby sea blight, they all start to change in late 211 00:13:31,947 --> 00:13:35,788 summer into the traditional autumn colours the oranges the 212 00:13:35,788 --> 00:13:38,008 bronzy colours and the salt marsh just takes on a completely 213 00:13:38,048 --> 00:13:41,189 different hue, which when the light's shining on it just has 214 00:13:41,229 --> 00:13:46,031 this golden edge to it. There's a nervous anticipation in late 215 00:13:46,071 --> 00:13:54,153 October waiting for the first seal pup. 216 00:13:54,153 --> 00:13:57,234 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: It's winter, mid-December. The UK's in the 217 00:13:57,274 --> 00:14:01,411 grip of a deep freeze. But the icy expanse of coastline and low 218 00:14:01,511 --> 00:14:05,734 winter sun in Norfolk's big open skies look beautiful. And I'm 219 00:14:05,754 --> 00:14:08,695 just arriving at the Blakeney ranger hut for an event I've 220 00:14:08,695 --> 00:14:11,577 been looking forward to witnessing for myself all year. 221 00:14:13,778 --> 00:14:15,719 Duncan, hello. Lovely to see you again. 222 00:14:15,879 --> 00:14:18,200 DUNCAN HALPIN: Hello there. Last time you were here, we were 223 00:14:18,340 --> 00:14:21,222 doing the seal clear up, but let's go see the spectacle. 224 00:14:30,222 --> 00:14:32,043 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: We've just got out the jeep. As we've been 225 00:14:32,043 --> 00:14:34,905 approaching today, at first it was little velvety heads of 226 00:14:34,925 --> 00:14:37,867 seals popping up from the waves and then the further that we got 227 00:14:37,927 --> 00:14:41,090 towards the colonies it was these huge bulls. 228 00:14:41,890 --> 00:14:45,733 And then we started seeing the babies, little white furs with 229 00:14:45,753 --> 00:14:50,956 their huge eyes. And now we've reached a denser part of the 230 00:14:50,996 --> 00:14:55,379 colony and we're going to look at how Duncan conserves and tags 231 00:14:55,780 --> 00:14:58,281 these seals to help them and to help the spectacle keep 232 00:14:58,321 --> 00:14:59,102 happening every year. 233 00:15:02,395 --> 00:15:03,403 What's going on now, Duncan? 234 00:15:03,916 --> 00:15:05,857 DUNCAN HALPIN: What we're going to do is we're going to try and 235 00:15:06,197 --> 00:15:09,879 spray some pups with some marker spray. It'll come out when they 236 00:15:09,919 --> 00:15:12,640 moult, but it'll allow us to track that pup up to when it 237 00:15:12,660 --> 00:15:16,241 does start to moult. We're trying to get good data for the 238 00:15:16,281 --> 00:15:17,382 Sea Mammal Research Unit. 239 00:15:17,902 --> 00:15:20,143 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: The rangers on the ground work like spraying 240 00:15:20,163 --> 00:15:24,265 the pups with paint to identify them, all feeds into a big study 241 00:15:24,485 --> 00:15:28,407 monitoring the health of the UK seal population, as Dr Debbie 242 00:15:28,447 --> 00:15:31,228 Russell from the Sea Mammal Research Unit explains. 243 00:15:32,664 --> 00:15:34,605 DEBBIE RUSSELL: Blakeney actually used to be a very small 244 00:15:34,645 --> 00:15:38,826 colony. 20 years ago, there was less than 100 grey seal pups 245 00:15:38,886 --> 00:15:42,407 born at Blakeney. And now it's likely there's about 5,000 pups 246 00:15:42,507 --> 00:15:43,147 born at Blakeney. 247 00:15:44,508 --> 00:15:47,628 It used to be that the number of seals that were born was 248 00:15:47,708 --> 00:15:50,429 estimated through ground counts, but the size of the colony 249 00:15:50,809 --> 00:15:54,470 essentially prohibits that. So our work now is to do so by 250 00:15:54,570 --> 00:15:57,751 aerial survey. There's an aeroplane with the hole in the 251 00:15:57,771 --> 00:15:59,572 floor where there's two cameras. 252 00:15:59,988 --> 00:16:03,150 And as they go over the colony, they're taking multiple pictures 253 00:16:03,670 --> 00:16:06,391 and we stitch them together and count the pups that are on them. 254 00:16:07,732 --> 00:16:11,493 Grey seals have historically been hunted at very high levels. 255 00:16:11,774 --> 00:16:14,735 There has also been times where gray seals have been culled as a 256 00:16:14,755 --> 00:16:17,436 result of potential interactions with fisheries. 257 00:16:17,816 --> 00:16:21,478 So there was a much reduced population, which is now kind of 258 00:16:21,638 --> 00:16:25,040 recovering and potentially expanding beyond what it would 259 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:29,662 have been. So the UK probably has about 36% of the world's 260 00:16:29,742 --> 00:16:33,044 grey seal population. And in Europe, the UK has the vast 261 00:16:33,084 --> 00:16:36,986 majority of grey seals. So it really is an incredibly 262 00:16:37,106 --> 00:16:38,587 important area for grey seals. 263 00:16:43,470 --> 00:16:48,293 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Going up and tagging pups on the bottom isn't 264 00:16:48,293 --> 00:16:50,574 the easiest conservation task. 265 00:16:50,714 --> 00:16:53,496 DUNCAN HALPIN: It's a difficult job to get close to the pups, 266 00:16:53,496 --> 00:16:56,817 the mums are very defensive and then you add in the bulls that 267 00:16:56,817 --> 00:16:59,778 are on the beach. It's all about having a look, seeing what the 268 00:16:59,798 --> 00:17:03,140 situation is and then getting it done as quickly as possible to 269 00:17:03,180 --> 00:17:05,561 avoid disturbance and avoid the possibility of getting bitten as 270 00:17:05,561 --> 00:17:05,761 well. 271 00:17:07,101 --> 00:17:09,402 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: So what kit do we have to do this 272 00:17:09,442 --> 00:17:10,382 conservation work? 273 00:17:12,323 --> 00:17:14,444 DUNCAN HALPIN: We've got a bag of marker spray here and a 274 00:17:14,664 --> 00:17:15,805 healthy can-do attitude. 275 00:17:20,327 --> 00:17:24,868 Going to mark this pot with a blue and yellow Mark. Hopefully 276 00:17:24,908 --> 00:17:25,549 it doesn't run away. 277 00:17:34,793 --> 00:17:37,254 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Almost ballet-like, Duncan quickly nips 278 00:17:37,254 --> 00:17:40,676 in and out to spray the babies, but the super protective mums 279 00:17:40,736 --> 00:17:46,219 move surprisingly quickly, their 24 stone or 155 kilogram bulks 280 00:17:46,459 --> 00:17:49,060 lunging towards the imposter, teeth bared. 281 00:17:51,136 --> 00:17:53,797 After Duncan's done this delicate dance about a dozen 282 00:17:53,877 --> 00:17:56,878 more times, enough pups have been tagged for the day. 283 00:17:57,578 --> 00:17:59,858 DUNCAN HALPIN: It's not a disturbance-free procedure, but 284 00:18:00,038 --> 00:18:03,619 the study zone's a very small part of the colony, so the 285 00:18:03,619 --> 00:18:06,820 benefits sort of outweigh the negatives. We've managed to 286 00:18:06,860 --> 00:18:10,101 spray a few seals, so we can go away and leave them in peace 287 00:18:10,141 --> 00:18:10,281 now. 288 00:18:13,102 --> 00:18:16,823 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: I've just left Duncan and I'm off to meet 289 00:18:17,183 --> 00:18:19,764 two of the volunteers who've been looking after Blakeney for 290 00:18:19,744 --> 00:18:23,793 the whole year. Looking beyond the seals, I can see two figures 291 00:18:24,113 --> 00:18:28,955 and that must be Hanne and Sue. Hi! Hello! 292 00:18:29,135 --> 00:18:30,236 HANNE SIEBERS: Hello, Michelle! 293 00:18:30,716 --> 00:18:32,457 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: How does it feel being back here? 294 00:18:33,337 --> 00:18:36,778 SUE GREGORY: Oh, it's absolutely fantastic. The seal colony, in 295 00:18:36,798 --> 00:18:40,100 my opinion, has expanded this year. I'm not quite sure whether 296 00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:42,701 we're at the peak at the moment, but I suspect we may be. 297 00:18:43,301 --> 00:18:47,003 HANNE SIEBERS: Hello, I'm Hanne Siebers. I've been volunteering 298 00:18:47,043 --> 00:18:53,017 with the National Trust for five years. I go out here as often as 299 00:18:53,097 --> 00:19:00,260 I can. I find it uplifting, healing, and I have absolutely 300 00:19:00,560 --> 00:19:05,362 no need for going away on holiday. Best of all, I am 301 00:19:05,402 --> 00:19:08,063 National Trust property photographer. 302 00:19:08,563 --> 00:19:10,464 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: So can you give us some of your top tips? 303 00:19:11,084 --> 00:19:15,446 HANNE SIEBERS: If you want to photograph seals, you have the 304 00:19:15,546 --> 00:19:21,472 rules like for any wildlife. Nature comes first. It is, of 305 00:19:21,572 --> 00:19:25,515 course, different because I am privileged. I am right in the 306 00:19:25,575 --> 00:19:30,258 middle of the rookery with a long lens. I can zoom in. 307 00:19:32,159 --> 00:19:38,822 I try to capture a seal not looking directly into my lens. 308 00:19:40,523 --> 00:19:45,326 We have now two pups here. They have just been sprayed, one 309 00:19:45,406 --> 00:19:50,770 yellow, one gold, with a bull. Guarding his territory and the 310 00:19:50,830 --> 00:19:56,834 cow next to the pups. I have a nice backdrop with the roaring 311 00:19:56,974 --> 00:20:04,240 sea. I get down on my knees to be on the same level as the 312 00:20:04,340 --> 00:20:04,720 seals. 313 00:20:06,300 --> 00:20:11,962 I use my long lens and a wide aperture. I get that shot now. 314 00:20:14,542 --> 00:20:17,103 And this is really Blakeney Point for me. 315 00:20:18,423 --> 00:20:21,604 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: A beautiful but freezing day on Blakeney 316 00:20:21,684 --> 00:20:23,925 Point. Might be time to head back for a cup of tea now. 317 00:20:28,606 --> 00:20:32,187 When we started with the clear up at the start of the year, it 318 00:20:32,207 --> 00:20:35,709 was a little bit sad, a little bit gritty. But coming back and 319 00:20:35,809 --> 00:20:40,993 seeing just as far as the eye can see, fat, healthy, gorgeous 320 00:20:41,073 --> 00:20:44,615 seals, doing their thing, expanding their colony, it just 321 00:20:44,635 --> 00:20:47,498 goes to show what conservation can do somewhere like Blakeney. 322 00:20:48,258 --> 00:20:50,960 DUNCAN HALPIN: It's a real success story here. Seeing so 323 00:20:51,060 --> 00:20:53,882 many seals and the numbers going up year on year, it's a great 324 00:20:53,942 --> 00:20:57,645 reward for the work we do. Having such a massive 325 00:20:57,665 --> 00:21:00,908 concentration of life in what is quite a small space is just 326 00:21:00,948 --> 00:21:01,348 astounding. 327 00:21:11,556 --> 00:21:13,738 MICHELLE DOUGLASS: Thanks for listening to this episode of the 328 00:21:13,818 --> 00:21:17,440 National Trust Podcast. I hope you've been inspired by this 329 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:21,043 programme. And please remember to follow our guidelines for the 330 00:21:21,123 --> 00:21:25,526 best and safest ways to enjoy the seals and other wildlife at 331 00:21:25,546 --> 00:21:29,468 Blakeney Point, including how to responsibly photograph seals. 332 00:21:30,189 --> 00:21:33,631 For more information, follow the links in this episode's show 333 00:21:33,691 --> 00:21:37,534 notes. And don't forget to follow and review us on your 334 00:21:37,614 --> 00:21:43,919 favourite podcast app or head to nationaltrust.org.uk/podcasts to 335 00:21:43,979 --> 00:21:48,683 browse our full back catalogue. Until next time, goodbye.