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

3 November—21 November

Reset filters

3 of 764 reports

Loading public records…

Explore by area

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.

2 of 3 reports mapped · 2 areas

N ↑Scarborough · 1 report1Norfolk, England · 1 report2

Scroll the map sideways to explore the whole coast.

Mapped areas North to south

  1. Scarborough1 report
  2. Norfolk, England1 report

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. 22000
  2. 42001
  3. 12002
  4. 12003
  5. 32005
  6. 22006
  7. 52007
  8. 12008
  9. 32009
  10. 92010
  11. 132011
  12. 72012
  13. 152013
  14. 82014
  15. 82015
  16. 92016
  17. 282017
  18. 212018
  19. 142019
  20. 212020
  21. 182021
  22. 152022
  23. 362023
  24. 302024
  25. 2482025
  26. 2422026

Months in 2023

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

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

  1. Cley Beach Norfolk, England
    Unidentified Thanet RSPB Local Group, 21 Nov 2023

    group account reports one Atlantic Grey Seal spotted at Cley Beach. Grey seal · 1 seal

  2. Scarborough, UK Scarborough
    Unidentified Elyias Philippaerts — iNaturalist (elyias)

    Photographic observation identified on iNaturalist as grey seal (Halichoerus grypus). Grey seal

  3. River Medway, central Maidstone Maidstone, Kent
    Unidentified UK Reporter/KentNews.Online, 4 November 2023 — https://ukreporter.co.uk/2023/11/04/seal-appears-in-central-maidstone/

    A small seal pup was reported clambering out of the River Medway during rain from Storm Ciarán. The report says this happened “yesterday,” resolving to 3 November 2023. It mentions another seal near Maidstone East railway station the previous month, but says it is unknown whether this was the same animal; that earlier report is not combined with this encounter. Species and individual identity are not stated. Species not recorded · 1 seal