Saturday 25th July - All 25 seen

At 08:50 this morning, cows 72, 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 33, 222, 227, and 270, were grazing in the woodland near the patch of grass at the Royal Pavilion end of the site, northeast of the cow shed. They were very friendly, taking turns to come over, greet me, and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. The group gradually made their way down towards the cow shed, with several stopping for a drink from the stream. They alternated between resting in the shade and coming over for neck and back scratches, with youngsters 222 and 227 rewarding me with gentle head rubs. Although it was a little cooler today, there were still plenty of flies around.

By 09:50, I wandered back to the patch of grass, where I found Sussex steer 1626 lying in the sunshine, chewing his cud. He was covered in flies and seemed to appreciate having them brushed from his face and shoulders, even if it was only temporary. Sussex cow 1396 was standing in the woodland behind him, also chewing her cud, but was happy to enjoy a back scratch while she rested. They were both happy, relaxed, and looking well.

Shortly after 10:10, I returned to the cow shed to find older steers 20 and 21 had arrived during my absence after wandering down from the area south of the Sandy Bowl. All ten were happy, relaxed, and looked settled. I said my goodbyes at 10:25, leaving them resting peacefully together.

At 10:40, steers 30, 35, 217, 220, 228, and 271 were relaxing and chewing their cud under the trees west of Horse Pond. They were all being bothered by large numbers of flies, with several showing signs of watery eyes. Youngster 228 was quick to come over to greet me, happy to stand and be fussed over, especially enjoying a long, relaxing back rub. Yearling 271 was content simply to stand close, while I helped keep the flies at bay. Shortly before I left, steers 30 and 228 wandered off to lie down in the dense bracken to the south. All six boys were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Finally, at 11:30, the last seven cattle were resting under the trees near the entrance to the covered reservoir. The remaining five Sussex cattle, along with steers 219 and 230, were initially all lying down, happy to be approached for their checks. Before long, however, they began getting up one by one to enjoy long neck and back scratches. Steer 197 was especially friendly today, enjoying plenty of attention and returning the affection with gentle head rubs, while cow 211 thoroughly enjoyed an extended neck rub, thanking me with plenty of licks. I said my goodbyes at 12:25, leaving them all resting peacefully.

The cattle were all good today.

Friday 24th July - All 25 seen

 Between 06:00 - 08:00

All seen this morning in 3 locations…

///slap.headless.figure (western side of the fenced off area) 1640,210 and 212

///front.sweep.solar (north of Horse Pond) 219,197 and 230

///giggles.without.growth (alongside the Bourley Road) all the rest scattered mostly within the bracken.

By the time I returned to the Bourley Road car park most of this group were beginning to settle in and around the cow shed.

All the cattle were good this morning, notably 222 and 072 coming over for long neck and back rubs.

 

Wednesday 22nd July - All 25 seen

At 17:35 this afternoon, steer 197 and cows 212 and 234 were gathered on a patch of grass southwest of James Bond Pond, near ///actors.cobbled.crossings. They were all relaxing and chewing their cud, with cow 234 taking the weight off her feet. Steer 210 and cow 214 were tucked away deep in the bushes behind them, but both came to the edge to say hello. Nearby, steer 30 was resting on the stony bank of the pond near the water's edge, while steers 35 and 217 were cooling off in the water. Again today, large numbers of flies were bothering the herd, especially around their eyes and nostrils. Despite the constant irritation, all eight cattle were looking well.

When I set off east to find the next group of cattle, steers 197 and 210, along with cows 212, 214, and 234, decided to follow me. By 18:05, we had arrived at the woodland to the east of James Bond Pond, where cows 72 and 940, along with steers 20, 33, 220, 222, 227, 228, 270, and 271, were resting together. Most were relaxing and chewing their cud, while others were shielding their faces from the flies and enjoying an early evening snooze. They were all happy to be approached for their checks, clearly appreciating having the flies gently brushed from their eyes and nostrils. Youngsters 222 and 228 were both quick to get up and take turns wandering over for neck and back scratches, rewarding me with gentle head rubs. The group that had followed me all lay down to rest in the shade. By 18:40, the cattle had begun to get up and wander out to the south to graze. All ten were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

Shortly after 19:00, youngster 230 was grazing among the gorse bushes opposite the herd's favourite Sandy Hill corner. He was very friendly, wandering into a clearing to say hello and enjoy some attention. After a short while, we moved down onto the slope of Sandy Hill, near ///olive.haunt.sneezed, where cows 211 and 1396, along with steers 219, 1626, and 1640, were grazing among the bracken. They all wandered over to greet me, enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. All six were content, relaxed, and in good condition.

Around 19:25, I started to hear frequent mooing in the distance to the northwest and went to investigate. The combined second group of fifteen had moved down onto the hillside near ///chain.jetted.cello to graze in the cooler evening conditions. They were well spread out in small groups and appeared to be mooing to check that no one was missing. They all settled down to graze, enjoying plenty of grass, leaves, and heather.

By 19:45, I had headed back up to James Bond Pond to see if I could find the missing older steer 21. I found him soon after, walking along the path just south of the pond between steers 30 and 217. Older steer 35 was lagging behind, continuing to browse leaves. After stopping to say hello, the boys wandered off through the thicket, making their way onto the hillside where the other cattle were grazing. By the time I rejoined them, the group of six from Sandy Hill had also joined the herd, which was now grazing together near ///less.hype.gloom. I said my goodbyes at 20:10, leaving them all peacefully grazing.

The cattle were all good today.

Tuesday 21st July - All 25 seen

At 17:25 this afternoon, seventeen cattle, including Sussex steers 197 and 210 and cow 212, were resting on an area of long grass north of the water tower, near ///calm.sped.panthers. Most were relaxing and chewing their cud, with several enjoying a late-afternoon snooze. They were being plagued by flies, which were continually settling on their eyes and around their nostrils. They were clearly uncomfortable, often standing up to shift position. Even so, several wandered over to say hello, happily enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs before offering a gentle head rub in return. Despite the constant irritation from the flies, they were all looking well.

Older steers 21 and 35 were resting beneath the shade of the trees to the southeast, near ///burden.text.part. Although they were still being bothered by flies, there were noticeably fewer, and it was considerably cooler in the shade. The boys were both happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 18:45, the remaining six cattle were resting or grazing in the pasture north of James Bond Pond. Sussex cow 1396, along with steers 1626 and 1640, were resting in the bracken near ///litters.rating.warthog. Steer 219 and cow 211 were grazing to the northwest, while steer 230 was resting beneath the shade of the trees to the south. Youngsters 219 and 230 were especially friendly, both thoroughly enjoying long neck and back scratches while relaxing in the sunshine. Cow 211 soon wandered over to greet me, happily accepting plenty of strokes before lying down in the bracken to chew her cud. This group was also being bothered by large numbers of flies, although they appeared considerably more settled than the first group. I said my goodbyes at 19:20, leaving them all resting peacefully.

The cattle were all good today.

Note: For some unexplained reason, I've been unable to create a new blog post since last night, regardless of which device or browser I've used. I've found a workaround, but I wanted to mention it in case anyone else is experiencing the same issue.

Sunday 19th July – All 25 seen – Cow 940 has a small graze, steer 220 has a minor scratch, and steer 228's neck lump has gone

At 10:00 this morning, the seven Sussex cattle, along with steers 20, 35, 219, 227, 230, 270, and 271, and cow 72, were standing beneath the trees west of Horse Pond, relaxing and chewing their cud. They had only recently arrived, having wandered down from grazing in the pasture east of the Lookout. Sussex cow 212 was quick to come over to greet me, enjoying a long neck scratch before shuffling forward for a back scratch. While I was spending some time with youngster 270, cow 211 wandered through the trees and stood beside me, clearly wondering why I hadn't been to see her yet. After enjoying a long neck rub, she thanked me with gentle head rubs and a few licks.

The cattle gradually drifted towards the cooler western end of the area, where they began settling down to rest and chew their cud. Although it wasn't quite as hot today, and with a gentle breeze blowing, there were still plenty of flies about, with several of the cattle showing signs of watery eyes. After coming over to say hello, youngsters 227 and 230 both went to lie down deep in the bracken, which seemed to provide some relief from the many flies. The others continued to rest, happy to be approached for their checks and to receive plenty of attention. All fifteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well. I said my goodbyes at 11:10, leaving them all peacefully resting.

At 11:20, older steers 21 and 33 were resting beneath the trees east of James Bond Pond. Steer 33 was lying down, relaxing and chewing his cud, while steer 21 seemed a little more unsettled, wandering around for a while until he found a comfortable place to settle. He was happy to be approached and appreciated having the flies gently brushed away from his eyes before settling down at my feet. Both were content, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 11:50, cows 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 30, 217, 220, 222, and 228, were resting beneath the trees close to the gate into the covered reservoir, near ///slick.couches.hexes. They were all happy to be approached for their checks, with most enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. I noticed that cow 940 had a small graze on her right hindquarter. She was happy for me to give it a good check, and there were no signs of bleeding, nor did it appear to be causing her any discomfort. Youngster 220 also had a scratch on his right hindquarter, which looked very much as though it may have been caused by the horn of one of his herd mates. Again, he was fine, and it wasn't causing him any discomfort. I was also pleased to see that the lump on youngster 228's neck had completely disappeared today.

Despite all initially lying down, cows 214 and 234, and steers 222 and 228, each took their turn to get up and wander over for long back scratches. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves, shuffling around to ensure I reached all of their itchy spots. I said my goodbyes at 12:45, leaving them looking settled and ready for a restful afternoon. Apart from the minor injuries, all eight were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

As I was leaving, I wandered past Horse Pond again and found steers 20 and 230 grazing beneath the shade of the trees on the other side of the main path. The other thirteen cattle were still lying down, although a few had changed position since my earlier visit.

The cattle were all good today.