Sunday 24th May - All 25 seen - Steer 220 has a minor injury on the right side of his head

At 09:20 this morning, five of the Sussex cattle were resting and chewing their cud in the shade of the trees near ///firebird.nurse.love at the Shell garage end of the site, while steer 197 was grazing contentedly nearby. Steer 1626 had settled in a cool spot in the bushes on the far side of the path to the south. All of them were being bothered by numerous flies, but they were otherwise in good condition and not showing any signs of distress despite the already intense heat.

At 10:05, twelve members of the Caesar’s original herd were gathered at the Lookout. Most were resting under the trees, where a slight breeze was keeping them cool and helping to keep many of the flies away. Steers 20, 30, and 33, along with cow 214, preferred to rest out in the sunshine. They were all very friendly and happy to be approached for plenty of strokes, with several standing up for back scratches. A few also rolled over onto their sides while enjoying the attention.

Steer 220 had a small injury on his right disbudding site. It was red but not bleeding, and I suspect he may have been rubbing his head too hard against a tree to get rid of flies. He seems slightly irritated by it, with frequent head shakes, but he’s otherwise fine — moving normally, resting, and chewing his cud. I’ve made Chris at HIWWT aware, and we should keep a careful eye on him.

At 11:40, the remaining six steers were found in or around the cow shed. Older steer 35 and youngster 227 were resting under the trees just outside the shed. Youngster 270 soon came out to greet me and enjoy some scratches. Youngsters 228 and 271 were relaxing and chewing their cud inside the shed. Older steer 21 had been grazing to the southwest but soon wandered over, said hello, then crossed the wooden bridge to stand under the shade of the trees to the north. All six were happy, relaxed, and in good condition. I said my goodbyes at 12:30, leaving them all resting peacefully.

With the exception of youngster 220, the cows were all good today.

Saturday 23rd May - All 25 seen

At 08:45 this morning, steers 21, 35, 227, 228, 270, and 271 were grazing in the shade at the west end of Longbottom. They were all very friendly, taking turns to come over to say hello and enjoy some strokes. They gradually moved east but were happy to stand close for long periods, relaxing and chewing their cud while I helped keep the flies away from their eyes. After saying my goodbyes at 09:15, they set off further east in the direction of Horse Pond.

At 09:25, steers 30, 33, 210, 222, 230, and 1626, along with cows 211, 212, and 940, were grazing in the pasture north of James Bond Pond, near ///burst.candy.paler. After coming over to say hello, they soon started to lie down and rest in the warm sunshine. Cow 211 enjoyed a long neck and ear rub before lying down at my feet. Youngster 222 wandered over from the far western corner to greet me with gentle head rubs before leaning in for a long back scratch. All nine were happy and healthy.

The remaining ten cattle had wandered off to the southwest to graze among the heather in the pasture near ///bars.clerk.villas. As I set off to check on them, youngsters 222 and 230 followed after me. Cows 72 and 1396, along with steers 197, 219, and 1640, were all grazing contentedly, but soon stopped to enjoy some attention. Soon after, they started to lie down on a grassy patch on the corner. Steers 20, 217, and 220, along with cows 214 and 234, were spread out across the surrounding area, still grazing. They soon moved into the shade to rest and chew their cud. All ten were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

I returned to the second group shortly before 10:45 to spend some more time with them. Some had started to get up and briefly stand in the shade before wandering off to join the others. Cow 211 stayed behind, happy to be approached and to enjoy more strokes, eventually stretching out on her side for a belly rub. I said my goodbyes shortly after 11:00, with her following me before wandering off to join the others. Hopefully, they'll all head off and find somewhere cool to rest.

The cows were all good today.

Friday 22nd May - All 25 seen - 230’s eye seems to be ok now

  Between 05:45 - 08:30 

All seen in 3 locations as follows

///chin.nurse.hype (east of horse pond) 020,227,217,271,220,270,228 and 230 I could see anything untoward with 230’s eyes this morning.

///furniture.approach.rehearsed (near perimeter fence to Gelvert) 035,234,214,072,021 and 030

///highbrow.bronzed.ruling (opposite Shell Station) 219,033,940,222 and the 7 Sussex’s

All the cattle were good this morning concentrating on the breakfast with some coming to see me for some back rubs, notably 211 and 222.

Thurs 21st May - staff check

All 25 seen in 1 loose group near the eastern end of the site

Wednesday 20th May - All 25 seen

At 16:45 this afternoon, steers 35 and 222 were peacefully resting on the hillside north of Horse Pond, near ///scribbled.bluffs.chilled, while steer 217 grazed among the bushes beside the path to the south. Youngster 222 thoroughly enjoyed a long neck scratch while resting before eventually standing up for a long back rub. He returned the affection with plenty of gentle head rubs while relaxing and chewing his cud. The boys were all happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 17:10, youngsters 227 and 228 were grazing near the southwest corner of James Bond Pond, close to ///witty.doll.safely, while older steer 30 browsed among the gorse bushes to the west. The youngsters took turns wandering over to say hello before enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. After a while, older steer 30 emerged from the bushes and wandered over to greet me before stopping for a long drink from a nearby puddle. Afterwards, he happily returned to grazing among the gorse. All three were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

By 17:35, cows 72, 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 20, 21, 33, 220, 230, 270, and 271, were resting on the grassy islands northeast of the water tower, near ///shark.atlas.tones. They were all happy to be approached as I made my way around checking on them, with most enjoying strokes and rubs while resting and chewing their cud. Cows 72 and 940 both stood up to enjoy long back scratches, shifting from side to side to make sure I reached all their itchy spots. I was especially pleased to see that youngster 230’s eye appeared completely fine today. He was resting with it fully open, there were no tears, and while leaning in for a long neck scratch he happily allowed me to give it a closer check. There was no sign of any injury or irritation. By 18:15, the cattle had gradually started to get up and wander north to graze among the long grass and bushes, although youngster 230 preferred to stay behind for a little extra attention before eventually following the others. All eleven were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

Finally, at 18:40, the seven Sussex cattle, along with youngster 219, were grazing on the hillside below the Lookout, near ///losing.humans.roof. Earlier, after leaving the first group of three steers, I noticed they had passed through the wall of gorse to graze in the swampy area southeast of the Lookout. They had spent the later part of the afternoon slowly grazing in an anticlockwise arc around the hillside. Several of the group were grazing in the wetter, swampy ground, but soon wandered over to greet me with very muddy legs and splashes of mud across their undersides. They were all very friendly, pausing their grazing to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes as I checked on them. Over time, the group gradually drifted southwest, crossing the hillside path near ///pits.brotherly.quite before descending into the pasture to the west to continue grazing. I said my goodbyes shortly after 19:10, leaving them peacefully grazing in the late evening sunshine. All eight were happy, relaxed, and healthy.

The cows were all good today.

Tuesday 19th May - All 25 seen - Steer 230 has a teary right eye

At 16:55 this afternoon, eleven members of the Caesar’s original herd were spread out grazing to the north and east of the covered reservoir. They were all enjoying plenty of fresh grass, with older steer 35 having wandered into the bushes by the path to browse on gorse. Cows 234 and 940, along with steers 20, 30, 33, 35, 217, 220, 222, 270, and 271, were all very friendly as I made my way around checking on them, with most enjoying some strokes. Youngster 222 was especially affectionate, wandering over to say hello as soon as he spotted me and greeting me with gentle head rubs. He soon leaned in for an extra-long neck and back scratch. As I was saying my goodbyes, the cattle began gathering on the grassy slope near ///contour.drill.salary. All eleven were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 17:45, five of the Sussex cattle, along with youngster 219, were grazing in the pasture north of the James Bond Pond near ///reverted.lump.active. Cow 1396 was lying down to the southwest, resting and chewing her cud in a brief spell of sunshine. Youngster 219 soon wandered across a boggy patch to say hello and enjoy plenty of scratches. As I was leaving, cow 211 went and lay down beside cow 1396, but not before coming over for a neck rub and offering plenty of licks in return. Steer 210 had wandered off by himself and was grazing on the hillside in the pasture to the north near ///bolts.cello.safe. All eight were content, relaxed, and in good condition.

The final five cattle had been moving down towards the eastern end of the site, but after leaving the Sussex cattle at 18:25, I noticed they had turned around and were now grazing on the hillside under the Lookout, near the fenced-off area. I returned to where I'd seen the first group, only to find them further east near ///nurture.twit.listed. Most were relaxing in the sunshine and chewing their cud, while a few continued to graze.

At 18:40, cows 72 and 214, along with steers 21, 227, and 230, were grazing on the hillside near ///curly.drawn.awoken. Youngster 228 wandered down the path to say hello and enjoy some strokes before carrying on to meet up with his herd mates. The others continued to graze on the hillside, gradually moving west. By 19:05, youngster 230 had made it to ///booth.broth.throw. He was very friendly, stopping his grazing to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. I noticed he had a teary right eye, which he preferred to keep closed while he stood being fussed over. He allowed me to check it, and there were no obvious signs of injury or cloudiness. After spending a good while with him, the other cattle had spread out to the east and north of the covered reservoir again. I said my goodbyes at 19:40, leaving them all peacefully grazing.

The cows were all good today, but we should definitely monitor youngster 230's right eye.