#624: Scolt Head Island

I recently spent an overnight at the White Horse at Brancaster Staithe. 

It's recommended as a hotel to stay in.

The pub has a marsh bar down by the salt marsh. From there you can see the low hills of Scolt Head Island.

Scolt Head Island lies just off the North Norfolk Coast.

This would make a great field study location for coastl ecosystems work and investigations.

Baz Scampion has created this website about the island.

The island is accessible by ferry.

The island is a National Nature Reserve, which limits the activity that can take place there. A good example of landscape management.

Image: Sea lavender on the salt marsh at Brancaster Staithe.

#578: Deepdale Podcast

I am fortunate enough to live close to the North Norfolk coast. I used to live on the coast itself at Snettisham for 12 years which allowed me to cycle to the beach. 

On the edge of the village is Ken Hill, which has latterly become a venue for Springwatch and a regenerative farm.

The Deepdale Podcast is now live, and there are several posts which would be of interest.

#554: River Glaven

What is your local river? Can you get out to it to do fieldwork easily?

What fieldwork would be appropriate for the GCSE Natural History?

One river that I have completed fieldwork on most recently is the River Glaven.

This is a fairly short river which flows through North Norfolk.

Rising from tiny chalk headwaters in lower Bodham and Baconsthorpe, the River Glaven flows for approximately 17 km. Its main course begins just below Selbrigg Pond, where three tributaries combine at the outfall. From there, the river winds through wooded hills of glacial debris, traverses lush countryside, and meanders through picturesque flint villages, before meeting the sea behind Blakeney Point.

Image: Selbrigg Pond, where the Glaven comes to life.

I have followed the river for most of that route.

At Letheringsett mill there is a useful stretch where fieldwork can be carried out.

Image: Letheringsett

The River Glaven faces challenges from abstraction, climate change and development. These pressures affect water levels and temperatures, ultimately impacting the wildlife and communities that depend on this precious chalk stream.

The river has a Conservation Group.

Images by Alan Parkinson.

#523: Seal webcam on Blakeney National Nature Reserve

A webcam has been set up on Blakeney National Nature Reserve to observe the seal pupping season on the end of the Point. This is a relatively local place, which is easy for me to get to the end of the Point, but there is no public access to the reserve itself.

Some companies continue to operate at this time of year, taking visitors to the end of the Point.

The National Trust site describes it as follows:

Blakeney Point, on the Norfolk coast, is home to England’s largest colony of grey seals. Each winter thousands of seals haul out on to the beach and dunes for the pupping and breeding season. Until recently, a boat trip was the only way to see this remarkable wildlife spectacle – but nestled among the dunes we now have a solar-powered wildlife camera bringing you a live stream from the heart of the colony.

The webcam YouTube page provides further information. Click to view.

Thanks to Bloomberg Philanthropies for funding this livestream. 

PLEASE NOTE - THIS IS AN UNFILTERED LIVE CAMERA AND VIEWERS MAY SEE FIGHTING, MATING AND SCENES OF A DISTRESSING NATURE. 

The cameras will be live until mid-January 2026 when the seals and the new generation of pups will return to the sea. During that time we estimate around 9000 pups will be born. 

It's one of England's most extraordinary wildlife spectacles. Edward Stubbings, the National Trust’s Area Ranger for Blakeney Point, said: “Last year we trialled the seal camera for the first time and had some great feedback from those who viewed the livestream, as watching the seals can be both fascinating and relaxing. Some of the highlights included a live seal birth, cows suckling their pups and bulls vying for dominance and the chance to mate with the females.” 

The long-term growth of the Blakeney Point seal colony is also now confirmed thanks to the latest data from biologists at the University of St Andrews. 

Latest figures published by the Seal Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) estimate that: 

• Pup numbers have increased by more than three-quarters (77%) in just five years from 5,036 in 2018 to 8,946 in 2023. 

• Over the past decade, pup production has increased more than five-fold from 1,614 in 2013. 

• With no natural predators, growth at Blakeney Point has outpaced national increases, making it England’s largest grey seal colony 

Because of the sheer size of the colony, manual counts are no longer practical or safe.

Image: Seals at Blakeney Point - Alan Parkinson, shared on Flickr under CC license.

#77: Saltmarsh App

Saltmarshes are an interesting ecosystem and the UK has quite a few of them.

There is a Saltmarsh app available to download.

It is a citizen science app inviting people to submit surveys.

It has a useful section which shows saltmarsh plants to help identify them. This will be helpful for anyone going on, or preparing for a field visit to a saltmarsh.

When I taught 'A' level geography in a previous school in West Norfolk, we used to have an annual trip to the coast for fieldwork. I think those schools who would beable to get to a saltmarsh should consider visiting one. 

There is a good opportunity to test a whole range of fieldwork skills in these environments, and they carry a range of risks to assess as well.

The website, from which the app can be downloaded has a useful guide to saltmarshes.

You can identify the locations of your nearest Saltmarsh using the MAGiC app (see the separate posts on this interactive map to see how it works). I've added the layer below and zoomed into the area of the Wash.