Update on the Autumnwatch grey seal webcams in Orkney

This year the pictures have been available internationally. We've already had people from Spain, Australia and the US telling us how much they're enjoying them. It's great to be able to show live to the world a great autumn spectacle that's happening right here in the UK.

So what about the seals themselves? We've all felt rather amazingly privileged to be able to witness the most intimate time of their lives when they mate, give birth, suckle and wean their young. We've seen and followed the first few days of a young pup (whose mum doesn't seem to be the most attentive). We've seen cows giving their young pups swimming lessons.

Grey seal pup on Stronsay (photo: Chris Sperring)

We've seen pups lose their first coat and take their first few steps on their own. They'll need to learn to swim and catch sand eels pretty quick if they're to survive. Around 50% of the pups we've been watching won't last the year.

We've seen bulls and cows mating, both on the beach and in the sea. We've seen how the colony copes in the autumn storms - by pretty much not doing anything. We've seen pups trying to suckle on other pups after losing their mums. And we've seen more and more seals - bulls, pups and cows - come away from the beach and on to the fields. Chris Sperring, our audio presenter, got chased away by one angry pup this very morning!

The two ages of a grey seal pup (left: pup with second coat. Right: with first coat)

But what we haven't seen much of is the bulls battling it out to dominate the beach. That's definitely something to look forward to. As the birthing season draws to a close, it won't be long before we start seeing these vicious clashes.

While I'm here, a quick word about yesterday. The high winds made it impossible for us to put our antenna up which meant we couldn't stream the pictures at all. Still, it gave Chris Sperring and I the chance to take some photos of some of the other wildlife here on Stronsay (which I'll post on the blog very soon) and to pop into the local school to say hello. It was nice to hear that they've been showing the webcams there as part of their science lessons.

Watch Autumnwatch on 4 November to see Gordon's latest film about our grey seal pups.