Views of the Seals are best seen from a boat on arrival or departure.
but we could make them out from our Low Light accommodationlying on the rocks, albeit half a mile or so away.
The areas they are in are both inaccessible to the visitor as well as being very dangerous as the rocks are apparently covered in a slime of seaweed.
If they sensed you are anywhere near they are probably off like a shot and it's amazing how fast they can move despite their appearance.
Occasionally you caught sight of one in the sea, sometimes quite close by.
but by far the best views came on our last full day when this youngster decided he was going to haul himself up on a rock directly below me.
Aware of my presence but feeling totally secure with 50 foot of cliff and a bit of water between us.
A quick pose for a photograph and then off to sleep!
The water is so clear around the May that if you are lucky you can actually see them swim, as one of the others commented, it gives you a whole new opinion of them. So graceful and agile in their natural environment.
There are two other mammals that I'm aware of that live on the island. Mouse, which I have yet to see and Rabbit. Of the latter there are hundreds!
Cute aren't they !
Ah, big floppy ears.
but maybe all is not as we see it! Occasionally fights seemed to break out and it wasn't just a playful chase.
When he's caught up with his rival, he has sunk his teeth in to the others backside!
and although they both live to fight another day if you look closely you'll see one now has a bald patch!
Fortunately for the Rabbits by and large they have no one else trying to eat them. Occasionally a baby might be taken by a Great Black-backed Gull or a passing raptor on migration but by and large they are free of threats. Free to eat, bask in the sun and, well, breed like rabbits do. However, they are a great benefit to the Puffins who use their old burrows to nest in, happily living side by side with their furry friends.
T.B.C.
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