seal.watch / uk

United Kingdom · 2000—2026

Grey and harbour seals

Seals around the United Kingdom.

Follow public seal observations from the United Kingdom. Browse published records, explore the places and stories behind them, or share an encounter with the Seal Watch team.

Meet the grey seal → · Meet the harbour seal →

Total reports
764
Latest observation

Public reports · newest first

Public records archive

14 February—15 September

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4 of 764 reports

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Explore by area

All areas

Markers represent named areas, never exact sighting positions. Circle size reflects report counts; numbers match the area list. Select an area to filter the archive.

10 of 15 reports mapped · 4 areas

N ↑Aberdeenshire · 2 reports1Oban North and Lorn Ward · 1 report2London · 4 reports3Dorset, England · 3 reports4

Scroll the map sideways to explore the whole coast.

Mapped areas North to south

  1. Aberdeenshire2 reports
  2. Oban North and Lorn Ward1 report
  3. London4 reports
  4. Dorset, England3 reports

Areas without one map point

Broad country and coast labels, and places without a reviewed reference, remain filterable here.

Map: Natural Earth.

Reports over time

All dates

Select a year, then a month. Counts describe published reports; one animal may appear in several reports.

  1. 12010
  2. 22013
  3. 12015
  4. 22016
  5. 12018
  6. 22019
  7. 62021
  8. 42022
  9. 22024
  10. 42025
  11. 2342026

Months in 2022

  1. 0Jan
  2. 2Feb
  3. 0Mar
  4. 0Apr
  5. 0May
  6. 0Jun
  7. 1Jul
  8. 0Aug
  9. 1Sep
  10. 0Oct
  11. 0Nov
  12. 0Dec

Grouped by each record’s archive date. Approximate dates keep their original labels in the records below.

  1. Thames beside Battersea Park, adjacent to Albert Bridge London
    Unidentified ZSL Thames Marine Mammal Survey, public sighting (reported by Alec) — https://sites.zsl.org/inthethames/main/

    ZSL description: The observer saw the seal’s muzzle and head. Harbour seal

  2. Foreshore just west of Hammersmith Bridge London
    Unidentified ZSL Thames Marine Mammal Survey, public sighting (reported by Amy) — https://sites.zsl.org/inthethames/main/

    ZSL description: A seal pup was on the foreshore and had left by 21:30. Harbour seal

  3. River Thames near Barnes Railway Bridge London
    Unidentified SWLondoner, “First seal sighting of 2022 in Barnes” (25 February 2022) — https://swlondoner.co.uk/life/25022022-first-seal-sighting-of-2022-in-barnes

    One seal was seen swimming near Barnes Railway Bridge; it surfaced once and then disappeared. Species not recorded · 1 seal

  4. River Thames opposite the Lensbury Club, near Teddington Lock London
    Unidentified Kingston Nub News, 14 February 2022 — https://kingston.nub.news/news/local-news/large-seal-spotted-in-thames-near-kingston

    A seal surfaced briefly near the line of moored boats, then disappeared. The report also quotes local enquiries confirming a seal had been in the area for several days; those undated sightings are not entered separately. Species not recorded · 1 seal