Tuesday 15th September - All 25 seen

At 16:50 this afternoon, steers 20, 21, 30, 35, 227, 230, 270, 271 and 1626, along with cow 72, were happily grazing among the trees and bushes to the west of James Bond Pond. They were especially enjoying the leaves from the silver birch trees. As I wandered around checking on them, they would emerge from the thicket to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs in the warm sunshine. The group gradually moved further west, with youngsters 230 and 270 the first to cross the path to graze on the far side. Youngster 230 was more than happy to enjoy a long back scratch while relaxing and chewing his cud. His wound continues to heal nicely. Cow 72's ear was looking pretty much the same as at the weekend and didn't appear to be causing her any discomfort. All ten were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 17:40, youngster 222 was munching on grass at the bottom of the hill south of James Bond Pond, near ///ripen.drip.functions. Although alone, he seemed happy enough and welcomed me with gentle head rubs before standing for long neck and back scratches. He especially enjoyed his back scratch, shifting around enthusiastically to make sure I reached all his itchy spots. Afterwards, he got back to grazing and was moving absolutely fine, suggesting he just wanted some alone time. When I bid him farewell, he walked with me for a while before being distracted by another patch of grass. I reluctantly left him on his own, confident that he knew where the group of ten were, having been with them earlier in the afternoon.

At 18:00, I found youngster 197 grazing among the heather near ///tech.dwarves.lushly, north of Sandy Hill. He spotted me approaching and greeted me with several moos before walking over to say hello. After some attention, he walked with me north-east to find steers 219 and 1626 grazing near ///tidy.refilled.spike. Youngster 219 was quick to say hello and position himself for a back rub. Steer 33 and cow 940 were grazing contentedly among the bracken in the pasture on the northern side of the valley, while steers 219, 220, and 228, along with cows 214 and 234, were grazing along the side of the path further north, near ///kettles.erupts.named. They were all very friendly as I wandered around checking on them. Before I said my goodbyes just after 18:35, the group grazing along the path had moved into the pasture south of the path and were enjoying plenty of heather. All ten were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Finally, at 18:45, cow 211 was enjoying plenty of long grass growing among the bracken, near ///purist.them.fuses, close to the water treatment compound beside the covered reservoir. She was taking full advantage of not having a collar and was grazing just inside the NoFence boundary. She was very affectionate, offering gentle head rubs and plenty of licks after enjoying neck and head strokes. The other three Sussex cattle – steer 210 and cows 212 and 1396 – were grazing contentedly 50 metres further southwest. All three were looking stunning in the setting sun. The girls were happy to take breaks from their grazing to thoroughly enjoy back rubs. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well. I left them all peacefully grazing at 19:15 as the light was beginning to fade.

There was a heavy military presence at several parts of the site today, including at the cow shed and in the woodland east of James Bond Pond. There were also numerous vehicle movements, including large troop carriers and logistics trucks.

The cattle were all good today.

Update – Youngster 222 was still grazing southeast of James Bond Pond when I was leaving the site, but I kept an eye on him and, by 20:10, he had returned to the first group of ten cattle, who were now resting in the pasture near ///sock.interacts.thin.

STAFF CHECK Monday 14th Sept

After Gordon contacted Ned this afternoon regarding Sarah's ear, I came to check on her and the rest of the stock.

4 Sussex and 1 Shetland by James Bond pond quite happy.

Found the other 18 right near entry into the site, Sarah #72 ear is spliced a bit from her ear tag but it isn't raw or bleeding and is just digging in further than it has been previously. It is scabbed and dry with no signs of infection so happy to leave it for the mean time and monitor and we will address changing the ear tag at TB test time, unless it become infected or worse prior to.

Thank you for your continued support

The grazing team

Monday 14th September - All 25 seen

 Between 06:15 - 08:30

All seen in 2 groups…

///collected.hops.unite 210,211,212,1396 and 230 were just north east of Horse pond. They were all grazing on the heather and looking quite content with life. 211 and 212 were particularly happy to receive some back and neck rubs. 

///sheds.upstairs.globe the remaining 20 were all near the Beacon Hill Road entrance, most were still lying down but were starting to get up for a stretch as I moved between them all. The cut on Sarah’s ear was the same as in Gordon’s picture from yesterday. Maybe the metal tag needs to be removed to help it heal. Other than that all the cattle were good this morning.

Sunday 13th September – All 25 seen – Cow 72 has a cut on her left ear alongside her metal ear tag

At 10:15 this morning, cow 214 and steers 219, 1626, and 1640 were gathered near ///sting.refills.lame, southwest of the Lookout. They were all relaxing and chewing their cud, with youngster 219 lying down. The four were very friendly, happily accepting plenty of strokes and rubs. Youngster 222 must have heard my voice, as he wandered over to join the group, greeting me with gentle head rubs before standing for a long neck and back scratch.

About 35 metres further north, cows 72, 234, and 940, along with steers 20, 21, 30, 33, 35, 217, 220, 227, 228, 270, and 271, were all gathered. Gradually, they started to settle down to rest and chew their cud. Before doing so, many wandered over to greet me, happily accepting neck, shoulder, and back scratches. After a while, Sussex steer 197 emerged from the gorse bushes to the east and wandered over to say hello. The whole group, including the initial five who had joined them, was happy to be approached for some extra attention, particularly enjoying neck and ear rubs. After a relaxing neck scratch, youngster 227 rolled over onto his side for a belly rub.

I noticed that cow 72 has a cut alongside the metal ear tag in her left ear. I first noticed the cut yesterday and wanted to check how it looked today. She was more than happy for me to check it out, and it appears as though the tag may be causing the cut. The tag is very tight against the top of her ear, and there is a definite ridge on the edge of the ear where it has been digging is. We'll need to keep a careful eye on cow 72's left ear to make sure the cut doesn't get any worse.

Around 11:45, I said my goodbyes and went off to find the final five cattle who had been grazing among the heather in the pasture to the south of the Lookout. When I arrived there, I quickly noticed they had moved on, so I wandered down to the path below, near ///purse.koala.cubs, where cows 211, 212, and 1396, along with steers 210 and 230, were just emerging from the thicket. They all said hello and were happy to receive plenty of strokes and rubs. They gradually moved east, grazing on the grass along the side of the path, until they reached the start of the slope up to the Lookout. There were many people and dogs about, so they quickly moved into the thicket, where they continued grazing in the very swampy area near ///growl.observe.short. The four Sussex cattle quickly moved through the worst of the mud, while youngster 230 preferred to stay with me for extra back scratches. After a good while, he wandered off to catch up with his new friends. All five were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 12:20, I climbed back up the hill to give the first group a quick final check, and found most were still lying down and chewing their cud. Steers 33, 35, 197, and 1640 had moved south to where I'd found the initial four this morning, with steer 197 lying down while the others stood nearby. After a short while, one of the Landmarc trucks pulled up and we had a good catch-up. While chatting, youngster 219 came wandering over and positioned himself for another back scratch, much to the amusement of the Landmarc team member. I said my goodbyes shortly before 13:00, just as a light shower was passing overhead, leaving them all happy and relaxed, albeit with a number of the group now on their feet.

Except for cow 72's ear, the cattle were all good today.