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Really looking forward to seeing these films after following your tweets Richard Taylor-Jones, how exciting to be in at the beginning of studies/research into these seals. The Goodwin Sands are a very interesting place, I wonder how much the shipwrecks over the centuries have added to 'accidental nature' by providing habitat for marine life.

Eagerly awaiting these items, I love seals and this looks to be a great piece - and I'm sure you'll be fab in all aspects, Richard.

Thanks for the excited anticipation! They've got some cracking wildlife in them these films so you should enjoy.

If anyone else has seal colonies living near them, which they think have gone unnoticed, we would love to hear about them on Autumnwatch, s
o drop us a line.

I echo what EnglishFolkFan & LazyRizzo have said, Richard. I am really looking forward to this feature, I have a soft spot for Harbour/Common Seals :-D

I live in Kent and work near to these sites so it is lovely to know that they are hear, and to get the good word out about them. It's amazing how jmany people from our region must go off on nature holidays to see these animals, as most people in Kent have no idea they are so close. I've heard of seals coming as far down the estuary as Faversham and the Sheppey/North Sittingbourne area.

Can't wait to see the film. I've never been to Pegwell but you've made me even more determined to get out there some day!

I am looking forward to your piece on seals. As Sussex County Recorder for sea mammals and regional coordinator for the Sea Watch Foundation I have been monitoring seals and cetaceans since 1993. Sadly we have had a decline in the coastal sightings of dolphins but seals we have had some facsinating sightings of common seal over the last few years. Infact the seal release you will be featuring came from a beach close to where I live.

We have also been following a rescued and released seal, 'Twinkle'. Follweoing its release in Lowerstoft in June 2010. The seal recognisable by a flipper tag turned up in Sussex in November 2010 and along with a couple of other organisations we have been observing his movements until quite recently. The seal interchanged between the river Cuckmere, River Ouse and the River Adur. More information about this and other Sussex sea mammals on my weblog at


The seals we see locally are generally juvenile seals that wander in their early years. We do of course have a small resident group of seals in the Solent.

I look forward to seeing this too. I hope the Ö÷²¥´óÐã sell this to the ABC in Australia. I live close to Perth in Western Australia and there are seals breeding around the islands off the cost.

Fantastic film, but surely this must be one of the worst kept secrets around. There is a nature reserve overlooking Pegwell and the Stour Estuary which has signboards talking about these seals, and a sign-posted path that takes you to places overlooking the site where they are. Was there last summer (you do need decent binoculars - you cant get very close) and they were easily visible basking on the mud banks.

Beautiful film Richard, and it was great to see Kent featured on Autumnwatch. I believe someone from the University of Kent was doing some research on seal numbers in Kent, but perhaps this fell through or moved to somewhere else in the UK?

I live near this area and I think you should advise people not to go tramping across the marsh to see the seals as this is a SSSI and is protected. It's difficult enough to keep people and dogs off this area, even with all the signs in place.

Hi,
why does Springwatch and Autumnwatch have a fixation with Seals? At the cessation of culling there were 20,000 Seals around the Coast of Britian, now there are 120,000. Each Seal consumes 1.5TONNES of FISH per annum, a commodity that is rapidly depleting around the Coast of Britian.

There has been a collapse of Sea Trout stocks in British rivers in recent years. Unlike Salmon, Sea Trout when leaving the Rivers of their birth only circulate around the coast of Britian and therefore are easy prey for Seals. In order to protect the Salmon and Sea Trout stocks, the Seal population should be controlled. Let's hope that the pod of 100 Killer Whales shown on last year's Autumwatch are still circulating around Britain as they are the Seals only predator.

Rodney Kaye.

Theres a lone seal that regularly appears in Dover Harbour. He often watches the Rowers training in the port and swims away as soon the young members row towards it only to appear behind them. It has also appeared near swimmers close to shore. It has been seen basking on the old hoverport landing apron in West Docks.

The Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory have had regular birding trips along the River Stour, from Sandwich, to the estuary and there has been a steady increase in the seal numbers over the last 10 years. If you need info on numbers then do contact the Observatory. I think the 5th entry is confusing the Stour estuary with the River Thames estuary!

My boat is moored on the Stour in Sandwich and we regularly take photos of the seals. My wife got a fantastic photo of the baby seal you mentioned in July it was not taken in the Autumnwatch period September to October so I can't officially upload it to the flickr group would you be interested in seeing it?

When you were asked the question as to why seals curl up you both discussed the temperature benefits of this and you also mentionned that by warming up in this way aids digestion, but might i also take a guess at not only would the warming up assist in the digestive process but also in the tightening of thier muscles as they curl thier bodies, might also suggest that this is the reason for this? i think, , yey did i out-geek you? love the program and believe it should be on more often,

For Richard Taylor-Jones

Have you filmed at Horse Sands, between Faversham/Oare Creek and Harty Ferry the Isle of Sheppey?

There are often seals on this sand spit, I believe they are common ones, but not sure. The same situation as the Goodwins, a sandy bank covered at high tide.

i have had many an enjoyable time on the river stour drifting with the current past the seals on my kayak,and this summer when launching from pegwell bay was accompanied by a very young seal which swam alongside me for a while and did make me wonder if it had been born local to pegwell.

Excellant programme, the seals are truly wonderful animals. I have been organising seal trips for the past 20 years in South East Essex and I will never tire of them and always enjoy telling our passengers all about their life cycle.
Re seals stretching head and tail up has to me always been a sign of nervousness. We call this "banana - ing". Also one for Chris when to animals want to have a pooh !

I live in Thanet and regularly see both Common and Grey seals. One calm day as the tide was ebbing down at Joss Bay I counted 13 seals, (common and Greys) some within fifteen feet from the shore, looking at the dog walkers. I also had the surprise of a common seal pup swimming between my legs as I stood in the shallows on Ramsgate beach one August. Use a pair of decent binoculars at low tide and you can always see seals resting on the exposed Goodwin sands. They have always been here as far as I can recall, the trouble is that people don't often look for them. In the late summer, between Broadstairs and Dumpton Gap there is always a Grey seal who follows the dropping tide, most days, not far out from the prom.

I really enjoyed this broadcast and it was great seeing the focus on our part of the coastline for a change. An excellent report.
May there be more in this area in the future! Perhaps a repeat of this programme, too!
Sue Smith