Author Archives: Christopher Perry

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Down by the quayside

where fishermen know to sit

young seal making hay

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n.b. I had heard of this young pup’s arrival a week ago and today I saw it surface a few times. Despite the snow in the wind, a woman had taken her coat off to sit on it on the grass embankment and watch the seal diving. It is remarkable how long these creatures can sustain a dive while fishing. It would then pop up its head and have a look around while recharging its lungs. Goodness knows what it finds underwater here, possibly the hire bikes from the city’s first less than secure public cycle scheme of a few years back.

There have been precious few boats on The Broads for over a year and so the river has become a safe navigation for this seal and who knows how many others. It must have found somewhere to rest up too, seals like lolling around on a beach or mudflat for long periods between diving for fish.

Things will change soon, as holidays within the UK become the thing for a while, so these waters will become quite busy, then where will this seal go? Similarly, I wonder how the otters further upstream, even closer to the city centre, will fare.