Sunday 18th January - All 25 seen - steer 1626 has a teary right eye

At 09:10, I found steers 21, 35, and 220 resting on Longbottom near ///combos.suitably.eternity. The boys were calm, relaxed, and looking well. As they were still separated from the rest of the herd, and knowing there was a larger group in the pasture north of James Bond Pond, I decided to walk them up the hill towards the pond. They followed steadily, taking regular breaks along the way.

By 09:40, they were reunited with twelve of their herd mates under the trees to the east of James Bond Pond. The seven Sussex cattle, along with steers 30, 33, 217, 219, and 270, emerged from the gorse to the northeast of the pond and came over to greet us. After everyone had taken turns to say hello and enjoy a few strokes and rubs, the group moved off to graze or rest near ///slings.shapeless.onto, with many soon returning for long neck and back scratches.

Over the next hour, the remaining ten cattle arrived in several small groups to join them, with cow 214 the last to arrive at 11:05. All were very friendly, stopping to greet me before joining the others to browse gorse or rest.

After resting for a while, the cattle began moving west. Seventeen gathered on the grassy islands southwest of James Bond Pond, while the remaining eight continued grazing in the gorse. I said my goodbyes at noon, leaving the group content and settled.

I did notice that Sussex steer 1626 may have poked his right eye on a branch while grazing. It appeared teary, and he preferred to keep it partially closed while resting. However, he was able to open it fully, and there were no obvious signs of injury, redness, or discharge. This should be monitored closely to ensure it does not develop into a more serious issue. HIWWT have been made aware.

Apart from steer 1626, the cows were all good today. 

I will tidy this up and add some photos later.

Saturday 17th January - All 25 seen

A group of fourteen originals were grazing and foraging to the east of Horse Pond.  They were all soaking from the earlier rain but were drying out quickly. They were all very friendly, coming over to greet me and enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. Youngsters 222 and 228 both thought it was amusing to give me rubs with their wet heads after enjoying long neck and chin scratches.

The seven Sussex cattle and youngster 219 were at the Shell garage end of the site, not too far from Beacon Hill Road in two groups. A group of four plus steer 219 were happily browsing gorse near the main entrance to Gelvert, with the other three enjoying grass and gorse along the main path towards Beacon Hill Road.

After a long search, I found the final three steers - 21, 35, and 220 - grazing in the woodland southeast of the Sandy Bowl.  I stayed with them for a good half hour and all three appeared happy and were moving around without any issues. They were enjoying an assortment of gorse, holly and other leaves from the trees and bushes.

The cattle were all good today.   Full update and photos to follow later.

Friday 16th January - 24 seen

 Between 08:30 - 11:00

24 found in two areas this morning, the first 5 including Sarah and Brie were at ///trendy.leads.hers which is at the western end of the sandy bowl.

19 including all the Sussex’s were between ///donor.format.occupy and ///awake.darts.flamingo which is just east of the horse pond. 

Despite an extended search I couldn’t find 035 Buzz and it would appear his collar is no longer working.

On my way homewards I came across Sussex 197 who had become separated from the rest, he seemed quite distressed as he was running about and very vocal. I managed to lead him back to the rest of the group. I then made my way back home only for him to follow me all the way back to the aldershot end of the site. He managed to join up with 228, 271 and 230.

All the cattle were good today mostly eating the acorns and gorse.

Thursday 15th January-on site now

 12:56 Sandy hill by the apple tree 

Big group of cows standing in the rain Brie is with this group most aren’t grazing just standing and chewing their cud Buzz and Brian  SH are here 

Looks like one of the SH steers was busy trying to graze over a low fence the top row has been pushed down ///followers.joys.wake under the apple tree  can’t escape there’s tall fence all around the other side. Went back to check and there’s a gap that they might fit through.

13: 17 16 here still Standing in the rain includes Gansta 

13:35 I came to see what the noise was the cows followed me to investigate a digger clearing the bank across from heathe end. They are so curious poking their heads through the gorse and one mooed at it 😁

13:38 They e gone into the trees to shelter it’s still raining

 ///tops.heartburn.nasal

14:27 7 SUS 1 SH steer and a BW over by the other end of sandy hill  ///reception.serve.stunner 

It’s windier over here they are standing and grazing the tall gorse and sheltering from the rain 

All cows seen today all are soaked but grazing and moving along nicely Can’t get close enough to see the SUS their fur is soaked today

Wednesday 14th January - 23 seen

At 12:15 this afternoon, fifteen members of the Caesar’s original herd were grazing across the pasture near ///self.bicker.cheerily, moving in the direction of Horse Pond. It was lovely to see them dry and grazing contentedly in the sunshine, a marked contrast to yesterday when they were soaked and looking rather miserable in the constant rain. They were all friendly, taking turns to come over to say hello and enjoy some strokes. Youngsters 222, 227, and 228 were especially friendly, enjoying long neck and back rubs and responding with gentle head rubs. By 12:45, the group had reached the hillside north of Horse Pond near ///shin.array.blinking, where most were happily grazing on heather. All fifteen were relaxed, happy, and looking well.

At 12:50, steers 219 and 1626 were found grazing near ///react.focal.paddlers, around 300 metres southwest of Horse Pond. Earlier, they had made their way east along Sandy Hill before descending into the thicket on the far side of the path. Youngster 219 stood happily for plenty of strokes and rubs, while steer 1626 foraged for acorns. Both were calm, content, and in good condition.

After a check on Sandy Hill to look for any other cattle, I returned briefly to the first group at 13:15, where several had begun lying down to rest in the bracken on the hillside near ///quest.inspects.downs.

By 13:40, the remaining six Sussex cattle were grazing deep in the gorse near ///dries.blesses.active, close to the main entrance to the Gelvert reserve. They all came over to greet me, with most enjoying having loose gorse brushed from their backs and sides. Cow 211 was particularly affectionate, enjoying a long neck and head rub and thanking me with plenty of licks. All six were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Just to the southeast, a contractor had done a tremendous job clearing the dense gorse bushes that filled the pasture as far as the eye could see. I had a nice chat with him while he tended three fires burning the gorse he’d cut down.

Despite a thorough search, I was unable to locate older steers 33 and 35 today. I suspect they were in the gorse bushes on Sandy Hill, but I was unable to find them. Numerous tracking collars were also not appearing on the map, possibly because they got soaked in yesterday’s heavy rain.

The cows that were found were all good today.