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.

Monday 23rd March - All 25 seen

At 13:55 this afternoon, a mixed group of thirteen cattle, including the seven Sussex cattle, were found in the pasture near ///design.smile.amaze, west of James Bond Pond. Most were lying down in the heather, relaxing and chewing their cud in the sunshine. A few were still grazing but soon settled down to rest. Sussex steer 197 remained grazing on the bank to the north of the main group. Youngster 222 got up shortly after I arrived, keen to say hello and be fussed over, thoroughly enjoying a long neck and back rub. The others were happy to receive strokes as I made my way around checking on them. All thirteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well. While moving around the group, I noticed youngster 227 browsing gorse in the distance at the southwest corner of the pond, near ///doubts.glows.nearly. I walked over to check on him; he appeared fine and seemed to be enjoying some time alone. He still stopped for a long neck scratch before returning to the gorse. On my way back, youngster 219 and yearling 270 were grazing along the sides of the main path to the north of the pond. At 14:40, steer 21 was resting in the pasture to the north of the main group, near ///laces.badge.back. Cow 940 was grazing nearby and came straight over to greet me. After enjoying a back scratch, she lay down at my feet. Steer 30 was browsing gorse further north, but soon wandered back to rejoin his herd mates. Steer 20 was also resting nearby, surrounded by gorse bushes. All four were happy and healthy. At 15:05, cow 72 and yearling 271 were grazing contentedly near ///bead.yard.hooked, southeast of the cattle grid into the Gelvert reserve. Both stopped to say hello and enjoy plenty of scratches. Steer 33 was lying down resting, while youngster 228 was browsing gorse behind him and soon came out to greet me, enjoying a good neck rub. Cow 214 was lying in the bracken a little further south, looking very comfortable. All five were happy, relaxed, and in good condition. By 15:45, I returned to the group of four to find steers 219 and 270 had joined them. Youngster 222 had also joined this group too. Yearling 270 was peacefully chewing his cud, while youngster 219 was more interested in neck and back scratches. Both appeared well. As I was leaving the site at 16:45, the seven Sussex cattle were happily grazing on grass and gorse near the pillbox on Sandy Hill, having drifted away from the group they were with earlier. The cattle were all good today.

Sunday 22nd March - All 25 seen

At 08:50 this morning, cows 72 and 940 were grazing on fresh grass on the slope southeast of James Bond Pond, near ///rant.binder.fried. It was a foggy start, but the sun soon burned it off. The girls were both very friendly, stopping to greet me and enjoy plenty of strokes. They were both happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

By 09:05, youngster 222 was grazing along the edge of the woodland at the southeast corner of the pond. He was very affectionate, offering gentle head rubs after an extended neck scratch. Older steer 21 was browsing gorse along the northern edge of the woodland, while youngsters 220, 227, and 230 were enjoying leaves in the thicket along the raised eastern side of the pond. Cows 214 and 234, along with steer 33, were browsing gorse at the northeast corner. Cow 234 had obviously been rubbing against a tree at some point, as the left side of her head and body was covered in grey dust.

After a while, most of the group began to gather on both sides of the main path further west and settled down to chew their cud in the sunshine. There were plenty of people and dogs about, but the cattle were largely left undisturbed. By 10:00, youngster 228 and yearlings 270 and 271 joined the group, having been grazing further northeast. Youngster 228 stopped for a drink from the pond before deciding it was the perfect place to enjoy a neck scratch. All eleven were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 10:10, I moved into the pasture north of the pond to check on the remaining cattle. I was pleased when the group by the path followed me, moving them away from the busy area with many dogs.

The remaining twelve cattle, including the seven Sussexes, were spread out across the pasture, either resting or grazing. Stteer 35 was further north near ///sizing.attic.receive, browsing gorse. After a while, the combined group drifted west to the far side of the mound, where they grazed briefly before settling down in the heather to rest and chew their cud in the sunshine. They were all very friendly, happily accepting strokes and rubs as they relaxed.

By the time I said my goodbyes shortly before 11:30, all but steers 21 and 30 were lying down, with the two boys continuing to graze among the gorse. Several of the cattle had dozed off in the warm sunshine, some even lying stretched out on their sides. They were all calm and content as I left.

As I was leaving the site shortly before noon, I checked on cows 72 and 940 again, who had moved to the far western end of Sandy Hill and were still grazing on the lush grass.

The cows were all good today.