by Kirsty Cox
Another blog day, another day of unexpected events on Lundy!
It all started off as usual with some seal admin in the office. Tara and Simon are planning to put together a presentation about seal disturbance for a forthcoming meeting and so I spent time searching through footage taken during disturbance surveys to see what could be used as examples. I compiled some short clips for Tara and Simon to look at and then also completed some photo ID work before feeding the chickens and heading to recycling to do my weekly two hour stint.
That completed, I got ready to head out on the East Coast Survey. I was due to start at 1pm as we schedule the survey around low tide times, and, of course, the moment that I set out, it started to pelt it down with rain! With the wind too, it felt like quite a battering but by the time I made it to Landing Bay, the sun had come out.
One of the weaned and moulted pups, Asrai, was hauled out on the main jetty! We can only hope he won’t make a habit of it but he did look very content in the sunshine. And around Rat Island there were over 30 seals hauled out. It is wonderful to see how many more seals will haul out around that area when the beaches are closed and there are less people around. 
Asrai on the Jetty
I continued along the Lower East Path, counting and photographing as I went. And when I got to Quarry Beach I was very pleased to discover that the mother of a pup there was a tagged seal! I hadn’t seen the tag previously but as soon as I did I had my suspicions as to which seal it was. I was excited to get back to the office to compare my records and see if my hunch was correct…
But that would have to wait, as when I reached Brazen Ward I had to turn around and run back to the village as I saw a visitor fall and hit their head. Although they said they were ok, I was concerned and didn’t think they should walk all the way back to the village. Normally when you walk the main track you pass lots of people, but of course today I didn’t and with no phone signal I had no option but to run all the way back to alert the first responder on duty to come out to see the visitor and to drive them back to the village!
That done and the visitor safely with Tara, the first responder on duty, and heading back to the village, I continued on my survey. I reached the north end without any further incidents and then walked back along the main track to the office. I checked in with Tara to see how the injured visitor was and luckily they seem to be fine.
A quick look at my records confirmed that my hunch was right, and the tagged seal was indeed Gwynnvys, a seal who was rehabbed at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary and released in 2018, and who had previously pupped on Quarry Beach in 2024. I volunteered at the CSS last year and so it’s particularly special for me to be able to contact them to let them know that one of their rehabbed pups has now pupped successfully herself on Lundy for the second time.
Gwynnvys and her Pup
And in case you were wondering, the pup that we rescued on Saturday, is now settling into life at RSPCA West Hatch and has been renamed Bagpuss by the team there.
Bagpuss at RSPCA West Hatch Rehab
Elsewhere on the island there were sightings of a Lapland Bunting, a Garden Warbler, 38 Oyster Catchers, a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, a Yellow Wagtail, a Pied Flycatcher and a Firecrest.