Tuesday 26th May - All 25 seen - Sussex steer 1640 has a wound on his left rear hip and is struggling to bend his left rear leg

At 18:45 this evening, cows 72 and 940, along with steers 20, 30, 33, 217, 220, 228, 230, 270, and 271, were gathered on the grassy bank at the northeast corner of Horse Pond. They were resting and chewing their cud, with a gentle breeze keeping them cool while the gorse bushes shaded them from the sun. Youngsters 270 and 271 were standing in the pond, while youngster 222 was further along the eastern edge, happily wading through the water and eating leaves from the bushes. He soon made his way over when he spotted me, clearly keen for some neck and back scratches. Youngster 227 was grazing alone in the pasture to the north, but soon wandered over to say hello before crossing the path to graze in the cooler shade to the east.

The injury to youngster 220's head looked much less red and sore today and didn’t seem to be bothering him at all, which was lovely to see. The other cattle were all content, relaxed, and looking well, with none appearing affected by today's intense heat. By 19:10, they had wandered off to graze in the pasture to the northeast near ///blame.bloom.switch. I said my goodbyes, leaving them grazing contentedly or resting peacefully.

Shortly before 19:30, I came across Sussex steer 1640 grazing alone near ///part.timed.vanished, well west of the Lookout. He was happily nibbling at the gorse but paused as I approached, leaning in for some gentle strokes. While spending time with him, I noticed an open wound on his left rear hip. It wasn’t bleeding, but looked quite raw and sore. When he began to walk, it was clear he was struggling to bend his rear left leg and was placing his foot cautiously. He let me check his leg, and there was no obvious injury to the leg or hoof, so it seemed more likely to be muscular. He carried on grazing among the gorse bushes, slowly moving onto the softer grass. I’ve let Alice at HIWWT know and passed along photos and videos for reference.

The remaining six Sussex cattle, along with steers 35 and 219, were spread out across the pasture below where I'd found Sussex steer 1640, near ///oasis.grudge.messy. I suspect that, with his sore leg, he didn’t want to attempt joining them. They were all happily grazing, gradually moving west in the cooler evening conditions. They were very friendly, each coming over to say hello and sparing me from wading through the swampiest patches. Steer 21, along with cows 214 and 234, were grazing further east, almost beneath the Lookout, looking absolutely gorgeous in the setting sun. All eleven were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 20:20, I returned to spend more time with steer 1640 and found him grazing near ///huddling.jump.witless. He seemed pleased for the company and enjoyed more strokes while continuing to graze. Other than his injuries, he seemed calm and relaxed. I had been concerned he might spend the evening alone, but was relieved to see the other Sussexes, along with steers 35 and 219, had climbed to the higher ground and were gathered near ///crows.pram.stitching, about 170 metres away. I wandered over to spend time with them and found steer 210 and cow 211 lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud, while the others grazed nearby.

As I was leaving at 21:00, steer 21 and cows 214 and 234 appeared on the higher ground, having climbed the stone path from below. They soon stepped forward and gathered around me to rest. After a short while, I walked them over to where steer 1640 was grazing, and they seemed content to stay with him. Hopefully, they’ll keep him company overnight.

With the exception of steer 1640, the cows were all good today.

Monday 25th May - All 25 seen

 Between 06:00 - 08:30

All seen in 3 locations this morning as follows….

///closer.ships.ozone (east of horse pond) 217,035,220,020,230,234,1640,214,033 and 030. 220’s mark on his head was quite red but no sign of bleeding. I have attached a photo.

///fantastic.exists.oval (sandy bowl) 222,072 and 940

///ribcage.indoors.topic (lookout) 271,279,219,021,228,227 and the other 6 Sussex’s.

All the cattle were good this morning, most of the ones at the lookout were laying down chewing their cud.

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.