Wednesday 25th February - All 25 seen

At 15:00 this afternoon, the eighteen members of the Caesar’s original herd, along with Sussex steer 1626, were spread out browsing gorse in the rows of bushes south of James Bond Pond. It was a warm, sunny afternoon, and the cattle emerged from the thicket one by one to greet me and enjoy head and neck scratches. Youngsters 222 and 228 were especially friendly, offering gentle head rubs in return. All nineteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well. At 16:30, five of the remaining Sussex cattle were near ///kilt.towns.trousers, southwest of the main entrance to Gelvert, while cow 1396 was grazing on gorse on the opposite side of the path. They were all very friendly, coming over to say hello and accept strokes. Cow 211 was particularly affectionate, leaning in for a long neck and chin scratch before offering head rubs and licks in return. It was encouraging to see that steers 210’s and 1640’s ears were looking much improved since Sunday. All six were content, relaxed, and in good condition. After leaving the Sussex cattle, I returned to the first group. By 17:05, fifteen of them were grazing among the heather in the pasture northeast of James Bond Pond. Once again, they took turns coming over for a few more strokes, looking wonderful in the setting sun. Shortly afterwards, the remaining five joined them, having finished browsing gorse south of the pond. The herd gradually moved further north before following the path into the pastures to the east, continuing to graze as they headed in the direction of the Lookout. Several returned for more attention before I said my goodbyes at 18:00. The cows were all good today.

Tuesday 24th - Cattle Spray All 25 Seen

Hi All, 

I came todsy in this good weather window to hopefully find and spray all 2 cows with Fly spray allowing it time to soak in before the rains come again.

I found a group of 19 up at the lookout. 

 

I then found 7 sussex all together not far off. Making a total of 25. 

Thanks so much for keeping an eye on them, this fly spray also covers ticks and lice so it should help with the sussex loosing patches of fur.

I checked around the sussex's ears after the picture from sunday of the ear. I can see no open wound, everything seems to have sealed over and healed nicely.

Grazing Team

Monday 23rd February - 23 seen

 Between 07:30 - 10:00

23 have been seen this morning in 3 groups. 16 of the original herd plus Sussex 1626 were spread between ///supply.export.likes and ///flops.robots.bikes. This is north of the horse pond towards the main path and up the hill heading towards the lookout. All looked good eating gorse and heather while enjoying a little early morning sunshine. Despite a good search I could not find 021 and 219. I suspect they were deep into the gorse. 

Whilst looking for 021 and 219 I found the 6 Sussex’s at ///nimbly.inherits.assemble which is at the lookout. I could not see any signs of fresh bleeding on either of the 4 mentioned by Gordon so presume that is a good sign.

Sussex Injury Photos

 Just posting the photos of the sussexes injuries from Gordon on Sunday

Sunday 22nd February - All 25 seen - Sussex steers 210 and 1640 have ear injuries, while steer 197 and cow 211 have other minor injuries.

At 08:40 this morning, the eighteen members of the Caesar’s original herd, along with Sussex steer 1626, were well spread out in the woodland east of the cow shed. They were grazing in ones and twos while sheltering from the rain. They were all very friendly as I made my way around checking on them, with most enjoying strokes and rubs. When the rain was at its heaviest, many of the cattle sheltered under the trees near ///reward.soft.breed, while a smaller group preferred the area to the south. Youngsters 222 and 230 were especially friendly, both enjoying long neck and back scratches while waiting for the rain to ease. By 10:00, fifteen of the cattle had gathered at the Royal Pavilion end of the site, near ///asleep.feel.stuck. Several began to rest and chew their cud, with many coming over for more strokes, while others continued browsing leaves from the surrounding trees and bushes. They were all happy, relaxed, and looking well. At 10:30, cows 214, 234, and 940, along with steer 20, were grazing on heather and gorse on the higher ground further west, near ///elder.pile.hatch. They, too, were very friendly, pausing to say hello and enjoy a few strokes before returning to graze. All four were happy, content, and in good condition. I said my goodbyes around 10:50 and headed off to Gelvert to look for the others. After an unsuccessful search of Gelvert, I returned to Caesar’s and found the six Sussex cattle on the raised ground northwest of James Bond Pond at 12:05. I quickly discovered that not all was well, as several of the cattle had fresh injuries. Steer 210 had a small cut near the top of his left ear that was bleeding, while steer 1640 had a larger cut along the top edge of his left ear, also bleeding. Cow 211 had a couple of scratches on the lower-left side of her neck, and steer 197 had a small gash on his left ear along with scratches on his neck. All six were on heightened alert and, although they were happy for me to approach and thoroughly check them, they were very aware of passers-by and dogs. I have no idea what had happened, but they all seemed fine with each other, showing no signs of tension. Despite the injuries, they otherwise appeared well and did not seem to be in pain or discomfort. Photos of the injuries have been shared with Alice at HIWWT. By 13:05, the sun had come out, and the cattle began grazing together in the pasture, slowly moving towards the pond. They remained alert at first, but gradually relaxed and settled. I stayed with them until shortly after 13:30 when I reluctantly left them grazing peacefully. Apart from the injuries to four of the Sussex cattle, the cows were all good today.