Seal spotted on the banks of the River Dee near Airbus

Seal spotted on the banks of the River Dee close to the Airbus wing transporter jetty.

Stephen Williams took the picture of the seal which he spotted this morning while out cycling alongside the river.

The seal was one of up to possibly three seen near where the Airbus jetty which used for loading wings onto the transporter barge.

While two disappeared presumably back in the water to scout for fish one remained on the bank allowing Stephen to grab a quick picture.

It’s quite difficult to identify the type of seal from the picture however, the Dee estuary is a home to over 500 Grey seals which tend to congregate a few miles up river on West Hoyle Bank near Hilbre Island during low tide.

Grey seals also tend to spend most of thier time out at sea feeding on fish.

The seals don’t breed in the Dee Estuary, in autumn they return to breeding grounds around Pembrokeshire and the Hebridean Islands of Scotland.

Grey seals, Common seals the odd porpoise and dolphin can be seen in the Dee Estury

The seals are often found on rocky shores, although large colonies of Grey Seals breed on sandy shores.

The white pups are spotted between October and December, pups remain on land until they have moulted their white coats and trebled their birth weight; at which point they head to the sea to hunt for themselves.

It’s relativly rare to spot seals on the banks of the river Dee further inland.