A number of Harbour Seals (or Common Seals), live in the Solent and frequent Langstone Harbour. The Solent is the only known rookery in the Eastern English Channel, so the colony is considered regionally unique.
Did You Know?
A group of Harbour Seals is most commonly called a herd, colony or pod. A breeding colony is also known as a rookery with a harem of females and a dominant male. Seals resting or bobbing in the water are called a ‘bob’!
Langstone Harbour is an ideal environment for seals, as they are relatively undisturbed. Food is plentiful, and there is lots of lovely soft mud for them to haul themselves out and rest on!
The favoured haul out location is visible from the Loop footpath running along Eastern Road. With a good pair of binoculars, you may be able to spot seals resting on the mud at low tide. Their presence highlights the importance of undisturbed intertidal areas within this busy coastal landscape.
Did You Know?
Harbour Seals produce a wide variety of vocal sounds including short barks, honks, grunts, growls, roars and moans, as well as seal pup contact calls.
What does a harbour seal’s call sound like?
These sleek, inquisitive mammals are one of the UK’s two native seal species. They use Langstone’s sheltered channels and mudflats to hunt for mullet, flounder and bass.
Harbour Seals have faced significant challenges in recent history. Outbreaks of phocine distemper virus (PDV) in the late 20th century caused dramatic declines. This disease wiped out a large proportion of the UK population, including seals in the Solent.
Breeding recovery has been slow and seal numbers are much lower than historic levels. However, seal monitoring has shown gradual population recovery across the Solent more recently.
Did You Know?
Harbour Seals are protected by law. This is because any disturbance can make seals move off their vital resting or breeding sites, as well as cause mothers to abandon their young pups.
If you are lucky enough to spot one along your walk or time afloat, please enjoy this amazing moment from a distance.
A seal’s quiet gaze above the water is a powerful reminder of both the harbour’s past fragility and its ongoing recovery.
- More about the harbour seal at the Wildlife Trusts website – click here