Wildlife of Cornwall, from Badgers to Seals
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Badgers at dusk taken with a 600mm lens a photocollage
Badgers and other animals
The badger is widespread throughout Cornwall, from exposed cliff tops to wooded valleys,
but being largely nocturnal is seldom seen unless you make the effort to do so.
Dusk is a good time for badger watching, as they emerge from their days slumber to begin a night foraging for food.
In summer you may even be lucky enough to see several families of cubs playing together.
The Forestry Commission arrange organised badger watching nights but demand always exceeds supply.
Other animals that can be seen in Cornwall include the Red Deer , common in the woods along the county border, and the fox .
Scarcer are the weasel and stoat. Making a come back to Cornish Rivers is the Otter,
but consider yourself very lucky indeed to see one.
A one eyed seal, Newlyn Harbour
Seals
There is a healthy population of over 1000 Atlantic Grey Seals living around the coast of Cornwall and the isle of Scilly.
Pups are born in the Autumn making them vulnerable to the Winter storms.
They are often left alone on the beach by their mother when she goes to sea looking for food.
Sometimes misguided , but well intentioned humans,
seeing the helpless but beautiful furry white pup think its abandoned and try and 'rescue' the poor animal ,
leaving centres like the Seal Sanctuary at Gweek to rear the animal if they are unable to locate its mother.
Apart from well known seal haunts like Seal Island just down the coast from St Ives, you are likely to see the odd animal bobbing up and down, a few yards off shore as they size you up, or porpoising across a bay to reach the next rock headland.
Occasionally seals venture into Looe and Newlyn Harbours looking for discarded fish.
