Tracking Seals
Most days I see a number of seals in Manning Bay and now that my schedule is much quieter I have been out and about trying to get close enough to capture some decent images of them.
This has proved quite difficult as they seem to be very wary of humans, especially those carrying a large tripod and camera!
Having scared off a small group of seals on a small rock, about 300 metres off the shore, I decided to drive away and park the van up in a less conspicuous spot. On my drive I discovered a possible reason for the seal's wariness. There is a quay in Curthownagh which services a Salmon Farm in Manning Bay. Seals can be deemed a nuisance, especially if they manage to break into the salmon cages. In such cases they are normally hunted down and shot.
I found another group of seals on a rock about 700 metres offshore. So I parked the van up behind a small wood and followed the line of trees as slowly and carefully as possible so as not to draw attention to myself.
Edging closer on all fours, through a farmers field, I was able to get right to the edge of the beach. Even using a 200mm lens with a 2x extender I was only able to fill the frame with a few seals and not shoot any close ups.
Having captured a number of images and spent an hour watching the seals I thought I would chance my luck and get as close as I could. The rising tide meant that the rocks the seals were on would be completely covered within 30 minutes so if I spooked them it wouldn't be a major issue.
Without investing heavily in big lenses (600mm +) I'm not sure I will get any closer to the seals. Maybe I'll find another spot on my travels which will get me closer.