Seal safari, South Ronaldsay

Seal Islands

Newborn seal pups are a gorgeous sight. Pure white, with huge, dark eyes and heart-shaped puppy noses, suckling their mothers, shuffling about on the sand, scratching themselves or each other with their little flippers.

They are born in the late autumn, so November is the best time to see them. The mother seals have favourite beaches where they know it’s safe and sheltered for them and their pups for the first month of their lives.

These photos are taken using no special equipment, only a mobile phone. We have a special place where it’s good to see them, because we can stand up on the banks and look down at the seals without disturbing them. As long as we are still and quiet, they don’t mind us looking at them.

The Viking name for the Orkney Islands was Orkneyjar. The name, in their language, means Seal Islands.

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