Monday 9th February - 19 seen

Between 07:45 - 10:15

16 were found just west of the horse pond at ///fakes.advancing.chromatic this included the 4 that sustained injuries yesterday. From what I could see there didn’t appear to be any new bleeding so hopefully the healing process will proceed without any further injury. The group were all foraging for acorns and eating the gorse. All looked content and gradually drying out.

I then found 220,270 and 271 by the cattle grid entrance to Gelvert at ///blotchy.decorated.data the three were all close to each other and made no effort to follow me out the gate. 

Unfortunately I could not find the remaining 6 Sussex’s.

All the 19 that I found this morning were good and enjoying the time without any rain. 

Sunday 8th February - 24 seen - Steers 30, 219, and 227 have ear injuries, and steer 1626 has a head injury.

Shortly before 10:00 this morning, steers 20, 21, 33, 217, 219, 222, 227, 228, and 1626, along with cow 72, were resting on the path near ///splits.slicer.acrobats, northwest of James Bond Pond. Older steer 30 was standing on higher ground just to the east. It was a foggy start to the morning, but this soon burned off. The cattle were all very friendly, enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs as I made my way around checking on them. Youngsters 222 and 228 were especially affectionate, offering gentle head rubs after enjoying long neck and back scratches.

By 10:30, several of the cattle had crossed the path and moved southwest to graze among the heather and gorse near ///nothing.skid.essay. I said my goodbyes shortly before 11:00, leaving them all calm, content, and looking well.

At 11:05, Sussex steers 197, 210, and 1640, along with cows 212 and 1396, were grazing along the sides of the path near ///recur.bake.asleep on the Gelvert reserve. They all said hello as they slowly moved west. They were happy, relaxed, and looking well. After saying my goodbyes, I continued west, re-entering Caesar’s at Beacon Hill Road, before carrying out a thorough search of that end of the site for more cattle.

At 11:40, I returned to the group of eleven cattle, who were now resting at the western end of Sandy Hill near ///huts.bring.forklift. I immediately noticed that steer 227 had a deep cut on his left ear which was bleeding. On checking the others, I found that steer 219 also had a deep, circular cut on his right ear, which was bleeding, as well as a couple of scratches on his side just above his right leg. Sussex steer 1626 had a head injury, with a small amount of blood on his left horn and a cut just beneath it. Older steer 30 also had a sizeable bleeding wound on his right ear and had unfortunately lost a chunk of his ear near the ear tag. It appeared that there had been a skirmish at some point, resulting in multiple injuries. I immediately called Sam at HIWWT to make her aware and shared photos of the injuries. Sam came to the site to check on the boys and applied antibiotic spray to the ear injuries of steers 30 and 219.

Prior to Sam’s arrival, steers 219 and 227, and later steers 30 and 219, looked like they were going to continue the shenanigans, so I moved them away from one another before anything could escalate. At 12:25, cows 214 and 234 wandered along Sandy Hill from the west and joined the group.

After Sam left, I returned to the main entrance of Gelvert shortly before 13:30, where I found cows 211 and 940, along with steers 220, 270, and 271, browsing gorse near ///rely.epidemics.stilted. By 13:45, they had been joined by steer 197 and cow 212, who arrived from the west. The remaining three Sussex cattle were further west, browsing gorse near the fence. When I said my goodbyes, cow 940 followed me back onto the Caesar’s side of the fence, so it will be interesting to see whether the others follow.

Finally, as I was leaving at 14:25, I checked on the main group again, who were together on the slope south of James Bond Pond. Youngster 230 had also joined them and was lying down resting with steer 33 in the bracken, while the others grazed nearby. Youngster 219 was sensibly standing a little apart from the group. They were all calm and relaxed.

Despite a very thorough search, I was unable to find steer 35 today.

Except for the four injured steers, the cattle were all good today. I hope the boys settle and that there are no further issues, and that their injuries heal quickly.

Saturday 7th February - All 25 seen

A lovely start to my visit this morning, with youngster 219 emerging from the thicket to greet me at the Royal Pavilion end of the site. With him were the six Sussex cattle, along with steers 21, 222, 227, and 228, and cow 214. To say I was surprised would be an understatement! It was great to see that cow 212 had found her way out of Camp 45 and that the group had made their way back onto Caesar’s Camp. Although they were all soaking wet, they were very friendly and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs.

By 10:45, a group of twelve cattle had gathered on Sandy Hill near their favourite corner. Most were browsing gorse, while cows 72, 234, and 940 preferred to relax and chew their cud. Youngster 230 and yearlings 270 and 271 were foraging for acorns beyond the gorse bushes on the edge of the slope. It was also great to see Sussex 1626 back with the group and looking so well. He soon came over to say hello and enjoy a head rub.

I returned to the first group around 12:30 and was delighted to find that steer 35 had come out of hiding and was now grazing with the others. I spent another half hour with them before saying my goodbyes just after 13:05, as another heavy shower passed through.

A full update and photos will follow later.