GreySeals

Last week we had some special moments spotting Grey Seals just 1 km far away from home. Usually they don't come this close. Now we had south winds before the river floods broke the ice and pushed the ice floats away. That's why the south winds were able to push the remaining ice floats to the Gulf of Bothnia's north shores where the ice had already started to melt.

(C) Esa Sillanpää

We admired the seal pups which are surprisingly fast on the ice at this time of the year. Notice, the dogs must be in leash in Finland! No exceptions allowed on spring time! Not even for well behaving Go. In practical, many wild animals have their price. It you dear dog happens to kill one, you pay. For example a sparrow costs you 30€. And it is "just a small bird". These laws & rules are made to protect the nature. 

(C) Esa Sillanpää

The seals were just 500 meters far away from us. We used binoculars to see them. Even we had been able to walk closer we didn't. It is not ok. You should not disturb the nature life. That's why you can't see better pics of the seals in my blog. My father-in-law provided these pics to be published for you. His camera has better photographic objectives than mine. 

(C) Esa Sillanpää

We spotted 44-46 grey seals on different days. My father-in-law has always lived in this village. He was born 1950 and says the seals has never been this close to the shore. I guess it is because of the the impacts of the climate change and the poor ice situations during the last winter. 

(C) Esa Sillanpää

Neither have the commercial ice breaker tours stopped this close to our shore. Last winter they did. My father-in-law- spotted them when going by on his kick sled.

(C) Esa Sillanpää

Ice breaker tours are not very environmental friendly. The ships pollute quite a lot and this is just for the fun. You do can experience the ice in many other ways too and most of them pollute the fragile arctic nature so much less than these ice breaker tours. The ships also disturb the grey seals even they would not go close. The ship movement moves the water and ice quite far from the ship -not only close to it- , that makes the ice to be unstable and break even it is not the time yet, it shakes the ice and makes the seals feel unsecured so they need to escape.