What We Found on the Cobbles Today: A Fluffy Seal Pup Surprise at Cove Bay Harbour!

emmaleighdean
Dec 21, 2025
5 min read

Sunday, 21st December 2025

After weeks of recovering from a knee injury that had me stuck indoors far too long, today felt like a proper milestone—my first real walk since the setback.

We headed down to Cove Bay Harbour on the southern edge of Aberdeen with Nova, our bouncy brown-and-white dog, for a big dose of fresh North Sea air. My grandson came along too—he’s Nova’s biggest fan and had really missed our usual adventures while I was out of action. The young lad was buzzing the whole way, posing for selfies with the dog, grinning ear to ear now that we were all out together again. He couldn’t get right down to the pup later on because of the rocks and pebbles, but he was absolutely thrilled just being part of it all.

Nova rocking her full Scotland Saltire flag collar on our windy Cove Bay walk—bold blue & white pride that pops perfectly!

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It was one of those surprisingly mild December days in Scotland—warm enough that I didn’t need to bundle up like the Michelin man, though the wind was doing its level best to blow us sideways. That fierce coastal breeze smacking you in the face, whipping through your hair, carrying the sharp tang of salt… pure joy. I absolutely love it. There’s nothing quite like the raw, invigorating power of the North Sea to make you feel properly alive again.

As we rounded the path to the harbour, the North Sea put on a spectacular show. The waves were thundering in, crashing dramatically against the rocks and sending spray high over the shoreline. The roar was deafening in the best way, and watching those powerful swells roll in one after another was mesmerising—pure winter magic that reminds you just how mighty the ocean is here in Aberdeenshire.

Then, nestled among the pebbles, rocks, and tangled strands of seaweed on the cobbled shore, we spotted something truly extraordinary: a fluffy white seal pup, all alone, looking for all the world like a little snowball that had been gently placed there by the tide. At first glance it seemed abandoned—curled up on the rough stones with no adult seals anywhere in sight. It’s not very common to see a baby seal left on its own here in Cove Bay (I’ve walked this stretch countless times over the years and never spotted one before on its own ), but I’ve no doubt it happens occasionally. Grey seal pups can turn up in unexpected places—perhaps born nearby in a quiet spot or drifted in by the tides and storms.

My grandson sensibly took charge of Nova, keeping her well back on the lead while I carefully made my way closer to check if the pup was OK. Nova would have absolutely loved to “meet” the pup—she was practically vibrating with excitement, tail going nineteen to the dozen—but we knew the little one wouldn’t appreciate a big, curious brown-and-white monster bounding towards her! This might well have been the pup’s first proper encounter with humans, so who knows what was going through its mind—probably thinking we were the strangest creatures it had ever seen, these tall upright things creeping closer making soft cooing noises.

Once I’d had a careful look and seen that the pup seemed calm and alert, we swapped over so my grandson could have his own quiet peek from a safe distance. His eyes were like saucers—he was completely mesmerised by the little fluffy visitor.

This was clearly a grey seal pup in its newborn stage, still wearing that thick, woolly white fur called lanugo that keeps them warm and insulated while they nurse and pack on blubber on land. Grey seals have their pups in autumn and winter along our coasts, and it’s completely normal for the mothers to leave them alone for hours—or even days—while they head out to sea to feed. She’s not abandoning her baby; she’s just out hunting fish to keep producing that rich milk, and she’ll return to nurse again. These pups spend two to four weeks in this vulnerable but adorable stage, tripling their birth weight before moulting their white coat and finally heading into the water on their own the pup didn’t seem frightened at all. It lifted its head, watched us with those huge, soulful dark eyes, and stayed remarkably calm the whole time. It looked plump and well-fed overall—which is always a reassuring sign—but on closer inspection there was a small scratch under one eye and a bit of crusting around the other. As we watched quietly, it even gave its eye a little rub with its foreflipper, a behaviour that can signal irritation from the salty wind, blowing sand, or the scratch itself. Minor scrapes and eye issues like this are quite common on these rocky beaches, but anything around the eyes is worth keeping an eye on.

Another walker—a lovely kind lady who had also stopped to admire the pup—had already phoned the experts at British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). They were on their way to give it a proper check-over. It’s heartwarming to see how quickly people step up to help when they spot something that might need a little assistance.

A Bit About Cove Bay Harbour

Cove Bay, often just called Cove locally, has a rich history as a traditional fishing village on Aberdeen’s southern outskirts. It grew around a natural rocky harbour, with proper piers and a breakwater added in 1878 to give the boats better shelter. In its 19th-century heyday, fishermen here landed cod, haddock, salmon, herring, and shellfish, and the village was home to distinct communities of fishermen, quarriers, and coastguards.There was even a fishmeal factory (affectionately nicknamed “the stinker” for very obvious reasons!) running from 1894 to 1937. Commercial fishing gradually declined after the First World War, and today only a handful of part-time boats work out of the harbour. The area is now a peaceful residential suburb with stunning coastal views, but the old harbour remains a beautiful, atmospheric spot—perfect for windy winter walks and the occasional unexpected wildlife encounter like ours.

What a memorable way to spend a winter Sunday—waves thundering in, wind blasting through my hair, a curious dog on her very best behaviour, my grandson beaming from ear to ear, and a fluffy white seal pup stealing everyone’s hearts. Getting back out on the coast after the knee injury felt incredible, like properly reclaiming a piece of myself. Moments like these are why I’ll never tire of our Aberdeen shoreline. Nature never fails to surprise, heal, and delight!