WARNING MAY DISTURB: The other side of Donna Nook

A harsh photo, but thats life.

It's a good photo. Not one I'd hang on the wall, but good and gritty
 
I really like that shot, maybe the post above re interference makes it more poignant.
 
Nice shot. I have a similar shot of a dead seal taken on a Galapagos island, it happens in paradise too. I have not visited Donna Nook, not sure why, not a long hop from Leeds when I lived there. But I have seen shots of people, not just togs, wandering thorugh the seals. It is time to limit the paths and police the breeding grounds, in the same way they do on Galapagos...marked paths and the guide watching. Of course the seals there are more robust and less likely to leave a pup because of the strange two legged things....but makes you wonder.

Puffin numbers are down on Farne, is it the fishing or the fact we turn up in drives to shoot them? Me thinks a mixture of the two.
 
Shadow and Flame said:
I'm currently studying the seals at Donna Nook, I've been at the colony for the last 3 weeks and will be there for 2 more. I am familiar with this particular dead pup on the outer colony, its been there about a week and its a popular subject for the photographers. It is a nice shot.

Unfortunatly I cannot agree that this shot reflects the harshness of nature taking its toll, as this is one of many pups on the outer colony that have died due to interference form photographers. The pup mortality on this area is much higher than any other area in the donna nook colony, and the national trust warden (whom I work with) and I am both saddened and frustrated by this growing problem.

I am sure that photographers visiting the outer colony at the weekends do not mean to harm the seals there but many go far too close, scaring the mothers off pups so they can take close ups of them.
Just this weekend I watched three photographers with a very young pup, no more than 3 days old, taking close ups having driven off the mother, who was hovering about 10 meters away. The temperature was below freezing that day and a pup that young has no protective blubber layer to insulate it. They also must feed very regularly to survive their first few days and the photographers where preventing it from doing that. Mothers will also abandon young pups if they smell of people or if they haven't had time to bond with them. I am almost certain that when I go back to the site again on saturday it will be dead, like many others I have seen endure this treatment.

It is soul destroying to have to study these animals and watch them be treated this way. I am now very reluctant to ask photographers to give pups space because most ignore me (because I am fairly young) or are rude, no matter how politely I approach them. The wildlife trust also does not have the staff to warden the outer colony site at the weekends, they get about 5000 people per day on the national trust site that is fenced. They have to rely on photogrpaher's 'doing the right thing' or policing each other, stopping intrusive individuals when they are seen.

If you are going to donna nook to photograph the seals please do not try to get clsoe ups of pups without a zoom lens, I know that people will probably not like this post or be offended that I am saying this but it is such a terrible shame that, at donna nook at least, photographers are killing the very animals they are taking pictures of. If you do see anyone doing this please say something as the person may not be aware that they are condeming the pup to death.

P.S. the weather this weekend (6th dec) is meant to be good. It is very cold though, minus 5 the when I was surveying yesterday and so camera batteries die or stop working very quickly, so bring plenty of spares and have them in a pocket next to your skin to keep them warm.
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(y) Thanks for posting. :)
 
I'm not familiar with Donna Nook as I've never been there but aren't there any notice boards/warning signs at the site to warn/guide people on correct behaviour around these or any other creatures with the threat of prosecution to those who think they know better?

Im sure Pauls image would have a great impact in showing the reasons to give these animals some respect.
 
Shadow and Flame said:
I'm currently studying the seals at Donna Nook, I've been at the colony for the last 3 weeks and will be there for 2 more. I am familiar with this particular dead pup on the outer colony, its been there about a week and its a popular subject for the photographers. It is a nice shot.

Unfortunatly I cannot agree that this shot reflects the harshness of nature taking its toll, as this is one of many pups on the outer colony that have died due to interference form photographers. The pup mortality on this area is much higher than any other area in the donna nook colony, and the national trust warden (whom I work with) and I am both saddened and frustrated by this growing problem.

I am sure that photographers visiting the outer colony at the weekends do not mean to harm the seals there but many go far too close, scaring the mothers off pups so they can take close ups of them.
Just this weekend I watched three photographers with a very young pup, no more than 3 days old, taking close ups having driven off the mother, who was hovering about 10 meters away. The temperature was below freezing that day and a pup that young has no protective blubber layer to insulate it. They also must feed very regularly to survive their first few days and the photographers where preventing it from doing that. Mothers will also abandon young pups if they smell of people or if they haven't had time to bond with them. I am almost certain that when I go back to the site again on saturday it will be dead, like many others I have seen endure this treatment.

It is soul destroying to have to study these animals and watch them be treated this way. I am now very reluctant to ask photographers to give pups space because most ignore me (because I am fairly young) or are rude, no matter how politely I approach them. The wildlife trust also does not have the staff to warden the outer colony site at the weekends, they get about 5000 people per day on the national trust site that is fenced. They have to rely on photogrpaher's 'doing the right thing' or policing each other, stopping intrusive individuals when they are seen.

If you are going to donna nook to photograph the seals please do not try to get clsoe ups of pups without a zoom lens, I know that people will probably not like this post or be offended that I am saying this but it is such a terrible shame that, at donna nook at least, photographers are killing the very animals they are taking pictures of. If you do see anyone doing this please say something as the person may not be aware that they are condeming the pup to death.

P.S. the weather this weekend (6th dec) is meant to be good. It is very cold though, minus 5 the when I was surveying yesterday and so camera batteries die or stop working very quickly, so bring plenty of spares and have them in a pocket next to your skin to keep them warm.
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Totally agree with that, ALL photographers should have the highest respect for their subjects and not get too close at all. Zoom lens is a must for things like the seals so that the above doesnt happen.

I am off their for the first time this weekend so i will heed your good advice (y)
 
purpleclouds said:
Shadow and Flame, that was an excellent post highlighting the dangers of mass invasion and the shameful disrespect a minority of photographers show. Donna Nook isn't the only place it's happening though, the puffin colony in Pembrokshire has been a 'target' of late, with one reported incident of a photographer standing between a puffin and it's burrow just so he could get the right background.

It is really sickening, and I think as a collective, we should be questioning those who do this.
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Paul - Well taken shot and a very interesting thread all around, that all photographers good, bad or indifferent should read.
I have never been to Donna Nook, but would love to go.

I have however been to Skomer and this is perhaps a little easier to manage, as the area (The Wick) is certainly more controllable, as well as the people allowed onto the island each day.
 
Sorry Paul, dont know how i missed this (and the other post, off there in a second :))

Fantastic shot showing how harsh nature can be, whether it was assisted by selfish minority or not it does show that life and death are part of the colony.

I have been a couple of times over the last couple of years, and been distrurbed to see the behaviour mentioned, when we have been with a smallish group its been quite easy to get nice shots, with a 100-400 at max zoom, without shooing mothers away or causing added stress. In fact Matt lay on the beach and had to keep sidling backwards on one occasion as a pup kept moving towards him.

It would be a crying shame to restrict the beach access, but it would be good if the rangers had the manpower to police the beach at weekends, and educate people in whats right and wrong. If photographers can help then we definitely should, otherwise in the future we could find the beach totally un accessible.

By the way do not attempt to go on the beach at any time during the week, even if the flags arent flying, they will remove you.
 
I'm glad that my post has been well recieved, I don't want to offend!

This year has been a fairly bad one for the outer colony and there are now serious talks about closing it to public access going on. Whether or not it will actually happen is another matter but we will have to wait and see... There is also talk about putting in a permit system so only a restricted number of photographers are allowed out at one time.

There are signs GarynLea but most people either ignore the advice on them or don't read them. It is the same on the fenced site, there are many large signs saying 'seals bite don't touch them' but that does not stop the general public sneaking their hands through.
I've been told by the wardens that people even lift their children over the fence so they can go close to the seals for photos (I've never seen this though!).
People completely underestimate seals as they look so cute and docile but they are basically swimming wild dogs. They have an awful bite (lots of sharp teeth, bite and shake) as well as carrying a potentially fatal (to people) bacteria which is in their saliva which causes a condition called 'seal finger' (as in, get bitten on your finger then it'll fall off). They can also move at a very fast pace when it suits them.

I am glad that at this site people value animal welfare, as like so many of you have pointed out it's not only the right thing to do but future access to such fantastic photography sites will be curtailed if people don't respect the animals.
 
an outstanding image.

i calle in to donna nook on saturday and thankfully didn't head to te ouer colony as i'm not sure how my good lady would have dealt with the situation of a dead seal.

on the whole i think that the wildlife trust have done a great job allowing access to the site in the way they have.

i understand the comments about 'shooting fis in a barrel' but as i'm still learning lts with my camera it was a good opportunity to take some shots i don't normally have access too.

i have only been a memebr on here since yeserday so havn't sorte dout my gallery yet but may have to put in some of this set.

i think i wil have to pay a visit next year in early dec as that seems to be the busiest time.
 
An extremely powerful (and beautifully taken) shot by Grumpybadger and a very thought provoking post by Shadow and Flame. How sad that some misguided people disregard the animals (and birds) environments in the way explained. I suspect that most (if not all) here would not do anything to upset the wildlife, but we can certainly help to spread the message.
 
An interesting thread with a great photo to talk about.

That's a very interesting and very disheartening story you tell of Shadow and Flame. I think it is something you should stick in an email and send to every photography publication on the shelves. They have a responsibility to educate their readers about more than how a camera works and is something they should spread the word about.

To both you and the OP, keep up the good work.(y)
 
a nice angle that perhaps we should all reflect on occasionally......
 
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