Friday 27th March - All 25 seen

At 11:20 this morning, steers 30, 220, 222, 227, 230, and 271, along with cow 234, were resting and chewing their cud on the slope of Sandy Hill, near ///stun.speaker.downs. They were content and unbothered by the steady drizzle. After about ten minutes, a Landmarc truck approached from the west, and I walked down to the path to have a chat with the driver. Soon after, the cattle wandered down to join us, forming a loose circle around me. Youngster 222 soon approached for scratches but seemed unimpressed at not having my full attention, so he began nudging me gently with his head to regain it.

After saying goodbye and once the truck had pulled away, the cattle drifted off in different directions to rest or graze. Steers 30, 227, and 230 took shelter under trees just off the main path, resting and chewing their cud. Steers 220 and 271 went to lie down close to where they had first been found. Youngster 222 joined them after another long neck and back scratch, while cow 234 wandered north to browse on gorse before emerging to relax and chew her cud among the heather. All were content, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 12:30, the remaining eighteen cattle were spread out in the pasture near ///cards.evaded.tabs, northwest of James Bond Pond. Cows 72, 940, and 1396, along with steers 20, 217, and 270, were all lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud. The rest were scattered to the northeast, grazing on gorse and heather. They were all friendly and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs as I checked on them. By 13:05, steers 33, 35, 210, 219, and 228 had crossed into the pasture to the east to continue grazing. Youngster 219 soon took a break and thoroughly enjoyed a long neck and back rub.

When I returned to the main group, steers 210, 219, and 228 followed me back, with youngster 228 soon approaching for some attention. He completely relaxed while having the sides of his neck stroked. By 13:50, many of the cattle were lying down again, including five of the Sussexes, having finished grazing on gorse and heather. The others continued browsing gorse from the surrounding bushes. The cattle had moved further northwest, near the Gelvert fence line at ///clearing.seat.jolt. After about five minutes, older steers 33 and 35 returned; 33 lay down with the main group, while 35 sheltered from the drizzle under the trees along the fence line.

I said my goodbyes at 14:30, leaving half the herd resting and the other half grazing. Several had moved out to browse gorse along the path near ///tour.grips.instructs. 

I did notice that the majority of the cattle had many ticks on their necks, armpits, and undersides.

The cows were all good today.

Thursday 26th - STAFF CHECK

Found all 25 split into 3 groups.

5 sussex were congregated near hungry hill. All grazing happily in the sun.

6 cows were grazing/lazing on the slope to the East of horse pond.

The remaining 14 were spread through the woods South of the viewpoint.

All looked fine.

Sean

Thursday 26th March - off sick

Sorry, wasn’t feeling well for a couple of days, hoping to get out but the lurgy isn’t finished with me yet.

Wednesday 25th March - All 25 seen

At 11:30 this morning, a group of ten cattle were found near ///hunter.dorms.shuts, close to Bourley Road. Cows 214 and 234, along with steer 220, were initially resting on the hillside on the opposite side of the path but soon wandered over to join the main group. Steer 21 had been grazing in the woodland to the northeast and also came over, settling on the hillside with cows 72 and 940 and steers 219, 222, 228, and 271. Despite a gusty wind, they were all enjoying the sunshine, either relaxing and chewing their cud or dozing. The cattle were very friendly, enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs as I spent some time with each of them. It was lovely to spend some quiet, relaxing time with them. I said my goodbyes at 13:00, leaving them resting peacefully.

At 13:10, steers 20, 30, 35, 217, 230, and 270 were resting near ///rubble.when.usual, close to the grassy area east of the Sandy Bowl. Youngster 230 was especially friendly, happily accepting endless strokes while relaxing and chewing his cud. At 13:30, the weather turned, with dark skies, strong winds, and a wintry shower of hail. All but steer 35 quickly moved to shelter under the surrounding trees, and the boys were happy for me to join them. It almost seemed as though wise old steer 35 had anticipated the change, positioning himself under cover so he didn’t need to move. After about ten minutes, the shower passed and the boys returned to the open to dry off in the sunshine. All six were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 14:05, the seven Sussex cattle, along with steers 33 and 227, were grazing in the waterlogged area near ///puff.zips.late, eating the plants growing on the surface. Thankfully, they came over to the water’s edge, sparing me from having to cross the worst of the ground, to say hello and enjoy some strokes. Cow 211 enjoyed a long neck and shoulder scratch, returning the affection with plenty of licks, while cow 212 was content to stand and enjoy an extended back scratch. All nine were happy and healthy.

By 15:00, the group began moving northeast, gradually crossing the Sandy Bowl, with six of the Sussex cattle leading the way. They headed to the grassy area to the east and began grazing on the fresh grass. Steers 33 and 227 briefly went over to greet the six steers from the second group, who were still resting, before continuing up Sunny Hill Road to the thicket near ///adopt.debit.dices, where they began to graze. Steer 1626 arrived shortly afterwards, greeting the boys before joining the Sussex group. After a few minutes, the resting steers got up and followed, and the larger group then moved into the woodland to the south.

As I was leaving at 15:30, the cattle from the first group were grazing in the woodland near the Bourley Road car park.

The cows were all good today.

Tuesday 24th March - All 25 seen

At 11:05 this morning, older steers 20, 21, 30, and 35 were grazing in the thicket at the Royal Pavilion end of the site near ///actual.dull.swing. They were eating a mix of leaves and fresh grass growing around the bushes. All four paused to greet me before returning to graze. They were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 11:40, a group of thirteen cattle were grazing among the gorse and heather on the hillside near ///rate.truck.timed, north of Horse Pond. Youngster 228 spotted me approaching and came over to greet me, enjoying the first of many neck and back scratches. The others also took turns coming over to say hello, with most enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. Afterwards, they began to lie down to rest and chew their cud. Youngsters 219 and 222 both returned for extra-long shoulder and back scratches, relaxing completely and offering gentle head rubs in return. I said my goodbyes at 12:50, leaving all but steer 33 lying down and resting, while he continued browsing gorse to the east. All thirteen were happy and healthy.

By 13:00, the seven Sussex cattle and youngster 227 were resting in the heather south of James Bond Pond, near ///joints.hurry.silently. Youngster 227 enjoyed having the sides of his neck stroked while chewing his cud, but soon stood up for a long back scratch, shifting around to make sure I reached all his itchy spots. After about twenty minutes, several of the Sussex cattle got up to stretch. They were all happy to be checked and enjoyed a few strokes before wandering off to the southwest to graze on heather and gorse. Youngster 227 soon returned for more attention, content to just stand and be fussed over. I said my goodbyes shortly before 14:00, leaving them all grazing peacefully.

As I was leaving, I passed the main group again, who were still resting, although they had shifted position slightly. I was pleased to see that the four older steers from the first group had joined them and were also lying down, chewing their cud. After giving several of the cattle some final strokes, I said my goodbyes just after 14:30, leaving them all calm and content.

The cows were all good today.