Much of our British wildlife has completed its breeding season and is preparing for the winter months that lie ahead.
But astonishingly one of our largest mammals is only just starting.
Unlike its smaller, slightly prettier, and definitely more sensible cousin, the common seal, which gives birth in June and July, the grey seal chooses this time of year to give birth.
The two best places to go and see them from here are the Farne Islands in Northumberland and Donna Nook in Lincolnshire , where one of Britain 's most accessible colonies resides.
Both sites make a great day trip out. And to see grey seals pupping is a fascinating spectacle.
Although you can find grey seals around much of Britain 's coast line, they haul up to the same beachs each year to give birth.
Some of the seals will be ‘locals' while others may have travelled some distance to these sites which are known as rookeries.
The main pupping ‘season' is the first three weeks of November. The pups are mainly born under the cover darkness.
They weigh about 30 pounds and measure about three feet long. And they really are beautiful with large dark glossy eyes and luxurious white coat. Their mournful calls make them equally appealing.
Brand new pups are easy to tell apart. Their umbilical cord is visible for the first few days and there skin is loose and wrinkled.
Older pups fill out quickly, putting on up to 2kg in 24 hours as they drink the cow's rich 60% fat milk three or four times a day.
Producing such a quantity of creamy milk, takes its toll on the mother and she rapidly loses weight, especially as she does not feed while she is rearing her pup.
But this intensive feeding period only lasts for three weeks. By this time the pup has trebled in weight and has built up a layer of blubber which will protect it from the cold. Hopefully this should sustain it while it refines its hunting skills.
After three weeks the pups will moult their downy white puppy-coat . This takes four-five days. At this stage they are getting more and more adventurous, playing in rock pools and at the sea edge.
But at five weeks old hunger and instinct will force them out to sea to learn how to hunt and feed.
Not all make it to this stage. Some are crushed by fighting adults, whilst autumn storms also take their toll.
A few weeks after the cows have given birth they become receptive for mating.
This does not go unnoticed and the males start to gather on the water's edge. They size each other up and test one another's strength by posturing and threatening growls.
The largest of the bulls are known as the beachmasters! They take up position to form a territory and herd the females up into harems of up to 10.
Each defends its harem aggressively from the advances of rival males.
This is a dangerous time for the pups as they can easily get crushed as fights break out when you get two evenly matched bulls.
The weaker bull usually backs down and the stronger one takes the spoils.
But while all this is going on the younger and smaller males are always hanging around the edge of the colony watching and waiting for an opportunity to mate while the beachmasters are preoccupied.
After mating the female can at last have a break. She can go out to sea to feed up before winter.
Delayed implantation, which means that the female holds fertilised eggs in her uterus in a suspended state of development, ensures that the pups are not born until the following autumn.
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Wildlife Diary -
