AT Winterton we share our beautiful beach with some amazing wildlife, especially the grey and common seals that live at nearby Horsey.

Wander along the shoreline at any time of year and the chances are you will see one or two of them people watching as they swim up and down our stretch of coast. You may even find one having a snooze on the sand.

But winter is the best time to see these magnificent creatures, when hundreds of the greys give birth to their distinctive white-furred pups.

Twin Seals

In 2015 the colony saw the first ever recorded grey seal twins born in the wild.

Volunteer wardens from the Friends of Horsey Seals spotted them hidden amongst the dunes at Horsey, being fed by the same mother.

Picture courtesy of EDP/Archant

But it was only after the babies were abandoned by their mum at just 10 days old - possibly as a result of human interference - that DNA samples could be taken and sent for testing to confirm whether they really were twins.

Named R2D2 and C3P0 after Star Wars characters, the brother and sister would have died if alert rescuers had not stepped in.

They were taken to the RSPCA’s centre at East Winch where they were hand reared until they were big enough to be released back into the wild.

While they were at the centre samples of their hair, along with blood samples taken from the scene of their birth, were sent to the Institute of Marine Research in Bergen, Norway. The results proved conclusively that they were twins.

Picture courtesy of EDP/Archant

As the four-month-old pups were released centre manager Alison Charles said: “It is amazing to think that we have helped to rear the world’s first recorded wild-born twin grey seals.”

She said their mum had done a good job of feeding them because they weighed 24 and 22 kg.

The youngsters, who were tagged, were among more than 1,000 pups born at the colony over that winter.

Picture courtesy of EDP/Archant

Each year grey seals come ashore at Horsey to give birth and mate. The pups, with their distinctive white fur coats, are fed for the first three weeks of their lives. Their mother’s milk is 60 per cent fat and they rely on this after they are weaned.

Once their mother has left for good their warm white coat is gradually shed and replaced by the mottled grey waterproof coat they need to be able to leave the beach.

Pictures courtesy of EDP/Archant

In memory of Alan McMurchie, who watched over Winterton beach users for many years.

winterton-on-sea

The Seals