With the exciting prospect of spotting the seal colony, it’s easy to see why thousands of people flock to Newburgh Beach every year.
Yet, despite the increase of visitors hoping to catch a glimpse of the selkies, disturbances are at the lowest they’ve been in several years.
Since May 2017, Forvie has been designated a protected haul-out zone for the marine mammals.
Over the years, the Press & Journal has reported on disturbance incidents at the Aberdeenshire beauty spot – from people approaching the colony causing them to stampede, to paddleboard and wild swimmer encounters leaving the mammals “stressed out”.
But, a lot of work has gone into protecting the seal colony, from weekend wardens patrolling the site and chatting to visitors, to a brand new walkway to a platform that gives an incredible view of the colony.
I went along to speak with Catriona Reid, manager of the Forvie National Nature Reserve, Lee Watson of the Ythan Seal Watch and Ron MacDonald of the Newburgh and Ythan Community Trust to learn more about the work going on in the area.
So just why are disturbances down, when the area has become even more popular?
Read on to find out:
- Why it’s important to give seals space, and what could happen if they are disturbed
- How weekend wardens talk to visitors, and point them in the right direction
- Why a volunteer, and wildlife enthusiast, wants drones banned from flying over nature reserves
- And how a new walkway and platform is making seeing the seals more accessible, and safer
Face-to-face conversations help with seal disturbances
Catriona can see why the seals are a “pretty good spectacle” and says visitor numbers “keep going up, and up, and up”.
She believes it’s been a “joint effort” to raise awareness about disturbances, with Lee educating people through the Ythan Seal Watch and support from the police as well as the Newburgh and Ythan Community Trust.
And, Catriona said her team at Forvie National Nature Reserve has done their part too, and believes their presence and face-to-face contact with people has made a big difference.
By having weekend staff working into the winter months, they have been able to meet visitors who come to the site on the north side (from the nature reserve).
When the visitors say they’re trying to see the seals, the wardens can then explain the best spot is actually in Newburgh Beach and tell them how to get there.
Why is it important people head to Newburgh to watch the seals though?
The nature reserve manager says if people walk over the dunes or onto the beach close to the haul-out it will cause them to stampede into the water.
“That’s not good for the animals,” she explained. “The big bull seal weighs a quarter of a tonne, which could kill a younger seal.
“And when they’re molting, they have to grow a new fur so they’re waterproof and warm in the water. They want to be out of the water and resting between feeding trips, they don’t need to be wasting energy escaping from people who are trying to get too close to them.”
Eight pups were born in Newburgh last year, and the team hopes it might become a “pupping site”, but they don’t know for certain yet.
“Seal pups are one of the cutest things on the planet,” she gushed, before returning to a more serious note, “and people will want a selfie with them…
“That is fairly obviously wrong, but it won’t stop some folks. So we really want to just keep getting the awareness out there, especially for seal pups because they’re very vulnerable to disturbance.
“It’s really just a case of trying to emphasise there’s a good reason for staying back from these animals and thanking everybody who does.”
‘People can’t see past the pup stage and just want a photo’
Lee agrees that a “combination of things” has led to the disturbance levels decreasing.
He set up the Ythan Seal Watch organisation in 2015 to help protect the mammals, and says he has recorded hundreds of disturbances over the years.
The wildlife enthusiast thinks support from the press and police helped get the message out, but the nature reserve having a presence and advising people has been the “biggest factor”.
He has also been campaigning to stop drones from flying on national nature reserves without a permit from NatureScot, because it causes them distress and can result in a stampede. They’re getting harder to spot, but he has witnessed selkies looking up before crashing into the river.
Lee, who is a volunteer with the Scottish Marine Animal Strandings Scheme and medic for the BDMLR, has had to help rescue one from the other side before — and stresses it is not a nice, or a safe walk.
He laughed and said: “People also need to realise that seals are not the cute Christmas card fluffy things that people think they are.
“I’ve been bitten by a seal I was rescuing and spent four hours in A&E waiting for the treatment to arrive from Dundee.
“They are horrible, angry, and disease-ridden. But people can’t see past the pup stage.”
Everything from walkers, paddleboarders and swimmers
But over the last nine years, Lee has witnessed people walking up to the seals, as well as paddleboarders and swimmers taking to the water — which he says looks deceptively tranquil.
He explained that it’s not a gradual beach, but rather a drop into a fast-flowing river. The volunteer has even seen some younger kids in wetsuits.
“Seals are very curious animals,” he explained. “And if there’s a kid in the river in a wetsuit, they might decide to nibble to see what it is.
“They’re in their own habitat and territory there, so if they want to get away they can, but like I say they are very curious — especially the younger ones.”
He admits the walk around Forvie is nice, and that some visitors don’t realise they’re going onto a designated site.
And then there are the other visitors who just want pictures of the iconic animals, but don’t want to be causing any harm.
But, if visitors cause a stampede, they don’t normally see or understand the full impact which is why he thinks raising awareness is so important.
And, Lee encourages other visitors to record these disturbances and report them officially.
He said: “But, for this time of year, for the fence to be down and the car park to be this busy and those seals to still be there — we haven’t seen one person the time we’ve been here.”
Making Newburgh Seal Beach accessible while preventing ‘disturbance crisis’
As we headed back down from the viewing platform away from the loud honks and roars of the seals basking in the sun, Ron explained more about the work being done.
Seals have been hauling out on the Forvie split since the 1990s, and that number quickly built up to more than 3,500 regularly resting in the area. But with the rising disturbance incidents, members of the Newburgh and Ythan Community Trust soon realised something had to be done.
At a meeting chaired by NatureScot back in 2017, it was decided that improving visitor facilities on this side of the Ythan estuary would help solve the “disturbance crisis” by encouraging people to go to Newburgh Beach instead.
The first phase was building the car park, which was completed in 2022, and this year they started on phase two — the all-abilities boardwalk and viewing platforms.
Funding came from Aberdeenshire Council through Visit Scotland’s rural infrastructure tourism fund, NatureScot and Visit Aberdeenshire.
The new all-abilities boardwalk has made Newburgh Beach accessible to everyone, as well as encouraging people to visit the seals from a safe distance.
“Before now people who use wheelchairs have never had access to the seals,” he explained. “So we thought that was very important, and to create a low-level viewing platform and improve the current high-level viewing platform by doubling its size and putting in non-slip strips.”
New all-abilities boardwalk gets nods of approval
The new boardwalk and updated high-level viewing platform will officially be opened on August 30, but that hasn’t stopped some from enjoying the views of the seals so far.
“The feedback has been tremendous,” he said, with a hint of pride.
“People passing, particularly people and children in wheelchairs, stop and compliment the workmen and they’re very gratified to hear that because they’re doing something worthwhile.
Ron finished: “Everybody’s worked together in a very collective, collegiate way, and we think we’ve produced what we call a real contribution to sustainable tourism in the north-east.”
Both Lee and Catriona were full of praise for the work that’s been carried out, and the nature reserve manager said it was “brilliant”.
“I can’t praise them highly enough for the facility they’re putting in here,” she said. “It’s going to make it so accessible.
“You’ll get nice and close to the seals and because the river is between you and them, they are completely chilled out about you watching them. You’ll hear them if the wind’s coming the right way, you’ll smell them some days, and you’ll certainly get great views of them — but you will not disturb them at all, because they know they’re safe.”
What to do if you see an injured seal, or see anyone disturbing the seals:
If you see anyone disturbing the seals deliberately report it to the police by calling 101
Anonymous reports can be made to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
You can also contact the Forvie National Nature Reserve for advice on 01354 751330
If you encounter a seal at the Ythan or on the coast you think may need help contact the BDMLR on 01825 765546
If you find any dead seals or cetaceans on the coast contact the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme (SMASS) on 07979 245893, or on 01463 243030
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