Saturday 5th April - All 25 seen

Cow 72 had wandered away from the main group and was enjoying the lick near ///trend.plums.envy, northeast of the water tower, at 09:05 this morning. Over time, another twenty-one cattle made their way in from the west to join her. Older steers 21 and 35 quickly pushed their way in and took charge of the lick. The group—consisting of the eighteen original members of Caesar’s herd along with the four Sussex steers—were all happy, relaxed, and looking well. They were very friendly and enjoyed plenty of strokes. Youngster 222 was especially affectionate, loving a long neck and chin rub.

By 09:55, several of the cattle had moved into the wooded area to the south, grazing on fresh grass and leaves from the bushes.

The three Sussex cows decided against following the others along to the water tower, remaining further west near ///roosters.meal.woods. Steer 210 set off to find them, and I followed. At 10:15, cows 211, 212, and 1396 were lying in the sunshine, chewing their cud and looking content. Steer 210 soon settled beside them in the heather. A short while later, cow 211 got up to greet me and thoroughly enjoyed a long neck rub, rewarding me with cuddles and licks. The girls were all happy and healthy.

By 10:40, nearly all the first group had moved into the wooded area to graze, except for steer 227 and cow 940. They remained near the lick, resting in the shade and chewing their cud. Youngster 227 came over again to greet me and happily received another long back and neck rub.

Thanks again to Tom for spraying the herd on Thursday—they all seemed much more comfortable today.

The cattle were all good today.

Friday 4th April - all 25 seen

 Between 08:30 - 10:15

All 25 have been seen this morning in 3 groups near the Sandy Hill Road.

First group of six were near ///partner.perused.liquids on the path alongside the road.

Second group of eight were to the east of the pillbox at ///solids.nicely.structure

The final group of eleven were down the slope between the sandy hill road and JB pond at ///skirt.freed.friend

All the cattle looked good this morning mainly eating the gorse and the grass. No signs of any discomforts and all moving without any issues.

Thursday 3rd April - Staff Check & Fly Spray

The afternoon started well with me locating 13 cows just behind the water tower at ///inflating.sized.brilliant at 12:30pm. The 7 Sussex cows were mixed in with Brie and her crowd. No issues to report. I gave them a salt lick, some nuts and a fly spray. 

The 12 other cows, including 217 were at the bottom of Sandy Hill here: ///reactions.horseshoe.plump at 1pm. No issues to report. Also gave this group a handful of cattle nuts, a salt lick and a fly spray. 

Wednesday 2nd April - All 25 seen - Steer 217 was alone and separated from the rest of the herd

Ten members of the original Caesar's herd were happily grazing in the thicket near ///refers.pint.builds, at the Royal Pavilion end of the site, at 16:15 this afternoon. Despite the sunshine, most preferred the cool shade. A little later, youngsters 222 and 227 were grazing further north, near ///label.debit.hurt, along the perimeter fence by Bourley Road. Both were very friendly, coming over to say hello and enjoy a few strokes. All twelve cattle were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 17:05, rather unusually, youngster 217 was on his own, munching on gorse on Hungry Hill near ///casual.bake.plus. He appeared absolutely fine, with no visible injuries, and was walking normally. Earlier, he had been down at Horse Pond, so he made his way up the hill without any issues. I had a good look around to see if any of the non-collared Sussexes were with him, but there were no other cattle to be found. I stayed with him for a while to make sure he was okay.

By 17:40, steers 33 and 219, along with cows 72, 234, and 940, were munching on fresh grass along the sides of the path near ///mops.suave.inches. They grazed westward, calmly passing through blockades set up by the army near the main entrance to Gelvert. The cattle wisely kept out of the soldiers' way. Cow 940 had a tick bite near her front left “armpit”, but it wasn't causing her any discomfort. All five were healthy and content.

At 18:20, the seven Sussexes were grazing near ///ferried.vans.prefect, at the Shell garage end of the site. Several were in the water, munching on the shoots sprouting through the surface. By 18:40, they had moved into the pasture to the north, where they enjoyed plenty of heather. All seven were happy and healthy.

The cows were all good today, though I'm really hoping youngster 217 rejoins one of the groups soon.