Tuesday 21st July - All 25 seen

At 17:25 this afternoon, seventeen cattle, including Sussex steers 197 and 210 and cow 212, were resting on an area of long grass north of the water tower, near ///calm.sped.panthers. Most were relaxing and chewing their cud, with several enjoying a late-afternoon snooze. They were being plagued by flies, which were continually settling on their eyes and around their nostrils. They were clearly uncomfortable, often standing up to shift position. Even so, several wandered over to say hello, happily enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs before offering a gentle head rub in return. Despite the constant irritation from the flies, they were all looking well.

Older steers 21 and 35 were resting beneath the shade of the trees to the southeast, near ///burden.text.part. Although they were still being bothered by flies, there were noticeably fewer, and it was considerably cooler in the shade. The boys were both happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 18:45, the remaining six cattle were resting or grazing in the pasture north of James Bond Pond. Sussex cow 1396, along with steers 1626 and 1640, were resting in the bracken near ///litters.rating.warthog. Steer 219 and cow 211 were grazing to the northwest, while steer 230 was resting beneath the shade of the trees to the south. Youngsters 219 and 230 were especially friendly, both thoroughly enjoying long neck and back scratches while relaxing in the sunshine. Cow 211 soon wandered over to greet me, happily accepting plenty of strokes before lying down in the bracken to chew her cud. This group was also being bothered by large numbers of flies, although they appeared considerably more settled than the first group. I said my goodbyes at 19:20, leaving them all resting peacefully.

The cattle were all good today.

Note: For some unexplained reason, I've been unable to create a new blog post since last night, regardless of which device or browser I've used. I've found a workaround, but I wanted to mention it in case anyone else is experiencing the same issue.

Sunday 19th July – All 25 seen – Cow 940 has a small graze, steer 220 has a minor scratch, and steer 228's neck lump has gone

At 10:00 this morning, the seven Sussex cattle, along with steers 20, 35, 219, 227, 230, 270, and 271, and cow 72, were standing beneath the trees west of Horse Pond, relaxing and chewing their cud. They had only recently arrived, having wandered down from grazing in the pasture east of the Lookout. Sussex cow 212 was quick to come over to greet me, enjoying a long neck scratch before shuffling forward for a back scratch. While I was spending some time with youngster 270, cow 211 wandered through the trees and stood beside me, clearly wondering why I hadn't been to see her yet. After enjoying a long neck rub, she thanked me with gentle head rubs and a few licks.

The cattle gradually drifted towards the cooler western end of the area, where they began settling down to rest and chew their cud. Although it wasn't quite as hot today, and with a gentle breeze blowing, there were still plenty of flies about, with several of the cattle showing signs of watery eyes. After coming over to say hello, youngsters 227 and 230 both went to lie down deep in the bracken, which seemed to provide some relief from the many flies. The others continued to rest, happy to be approached for their checks and to receive plenty of attention. All fifteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well. I said my goodbyes at 11:10, leaving them all peacefully resting.

At 11:20, older steers 21 and 33 were resting beneath the trees east of James Bond Pond. Steer 33 was lying down, relaxing and chewing his cud, while steer 21 seemed a little more unsettled, wandering around for a while until he found a comfortable place to settle. He was happy to be approached and appreciated having the flies gently brushed away from his eyes before settling down at my feet. Both were content, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 11:50, cows 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 30, 217, 220, 222, and 228, were resting beneath the trees close to the gate into the covered reservoir, near ///slick.couches.hexes. They were all happy to be approached for their checks, with most enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. I noticed that cow 940 had a small graze on her right hindquarter. She was happy for me to give it a good check, and there were no signs of bleeding, nor did it appear to be causing her any discomfort. Youngster 220 also had a scratch on his right hindquarter, which looked very much as though it may have been caused by the horn of one of his herd mates. Again, he was fine, and it wasn't causing him any discomfort. I was also pleased to see that the lump on youngster 228's neck had completely disappeared today.

Despite all initially lying down, cows 214 and 234, and steers 222 and 228, each took their turn to get up and wander over for long back scratches. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves, shuffling around to ensure I reached all of their itchy spots. I said my goodbyes at 12:45, leaving them looking settled and ready for a restful afternoon. Apart from the minor injuries, all eight were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

As I was leaving, I wandered past Horse Pond again and found steers 20 and 230 grazing beneath the shade of the trees on the other side of the main path. The other thirteen cattle were still lying down, although a few had changed position since my earlier visit.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday 18th July - All 25 seen - Steer 228 has a lump on the left side of his neck

At 09:45 this morning, steers 21, 30, 33, 217, and 222 were spread out grazing near ///helped.dine.bound, southwest of James Bond Pond. Older steer 30 and youngsters 217 and 222 soon followed the path northwest before moving beneath the shade of the trees to rest. Youngster 222 was especially friendly today, wandering over to say hello as soon as he spotted me and greeting me with affectionate head rubs. He thoroughly enjoyed a long neck rub, followed by an extra-long back scratch while relaxing beneath the trees. Older steers 21 and 33 eventually rejoined the group at 10:20, having spent some time browsing the leaves on the nearby bushes. All five were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 10:30, cows 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 220 and 228, were resting beneath the trees to the east of James Bond Pond. Although it was cooler today, with a gentle breeze taking the edge off the heat, there were still plenty of flies about. All five were happy to be approached for their checks, each enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. While giving youngster 228 a neck rub, I noticed a lump on the left side of his neck, which looked as though it may have been caused by an insect bite. He was happy for me to check it and didn't appear to be in any discomfort, but I will check it again tomorrow. All five were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 11:25, Sussex steer 197 and cow 212 were grazing among the bracken near ///aunts.broker.twit, about 340 metres northeast of Horse Pond. They were both friendly, coming over to say hello. Sussex steers 210, 1626, and 1640, along with cows 211 and 1396, were resting in the bracken around 120 metres further north, near ///tribe.latter.splash. Youngster 219 was standing beneath the shade of a large tree behind them and thoroughly enjoyed a long back scratch while taking a break. All eight were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 11:50, I had walked 80 metres northeast and found cow 72 and steer 230 resting beneath the trees near ///films.voice.magic. They were both looking very comfortable in the cooler conditions and enjoyed plenty of fuss. Steers 20 and 227 were grazing close by, with youngster 227 coming over to say hello and enjoy some attention. All four were content and looking well. Meanwhile, the Sussex cattle and youngster 219 were happily grazing across the pasture, gradually making their way towards the group of four.

Earlier, before I arrived and found the first two Sussex cattle, older steer 35, along with youngsters 270 and 271, had wandered over to Horse Pond for a drink. Shortly before 12:30, they slipped into stealth mode, walking right past me and the group of twelve on the main path to the southeast before circling and rejoining us from the north. The boys quickly started grazing on the grass growing around the bracken, all looking very well. Youngster 271 had obviously been for a paddle in the pond, as his sides and underside were still wet.

The cattle were all good today.