Sunday 29th September - All 25 seen

This morning at 09:00, Sussex steers 197 and 1640, along with cow 212, were found grazing near the water tower. Twenty minutes later, cows 211 and 1396 were discovered further west near ///puppy.foggy.scores. Cow 211 was her usual friendly self, and came over to say hello and receive a back scratch, giving me head rubs and licks in return. They continued grazing southwest and didn't seem in any rush to rejoin the others. I didn't spot steer 210, so I returned to the first group and found him grazing in the thicket near the fence by the Shell garage. All six were happy and looked well.

Steers 33, 217, 270 and 1626 were happily grazing on the slope near ///rant.binder.fried at 10:00. They were slowly descending and enjoying lots of grass. Despite searching the surrounding area, I couldn't find any more of the herd.

By 10:25, cows 72, 214 and 234, along with steers 20, 219, 220, 227, 228, 230 and 271, were grazing near ///troll.dawn.joins. They all slowly emerged from the bushes to the north and began eating grass and heather. Steer 30, who had been deep in a gorse bush, soon came out to be checked. Several came to greet me, With steer 230 particularly enjoying a long back rub while chewing his cud. They all seemed happy, relaxed and looking well.

I returned to the second group at 10:50, and found the four steers now grazing in the thicket on the opposite side of the path to where they were earlier. Steers 21, 35 and 222 had joined them, grazing deep in the bushes, but all appeared fine. I continued looking for cow 940 without any success. Just before 11:00, I heard some mooing coming from the top of Sandy Hill and found yearling 270 heading west. Following him led me to cow 940, who was grazing at the far end of the hill. The group of eight looked happy and healthy.

The cows were all good today.

Saturday 28th September - All 25 seen

After a chilly start, steers 35 and 1626 were found grazing in the sunshine near ///echo.silly.mass at 09:15, happily enjoying the heather. Nearby, steers 21 and 33 were deep in the gorse bushes. A short while later, cow 940 and steers 222 and 270 were relaxing on a small hill by the new fence, chewing their cud. Youngster 217 was also hidden deep in the gorse, only emerging around 10:00. The cows were all doing well.

At 10:30, Sussex steer 210 and cow 212 were happily grazing near ///moped.tasty.ramps at the Shell garage end of the site. Steers 197 and 1640, along with cows 211 and 1396, were scattered deep in the gorse bushes to the north, close to the main path. Although I could see them, only steer 1640 came out during my visit.

By 11:20, cows 72, 214 and 234, along with steers 20, 30, 219, 220, 227, 228, 230 and 271, were spread out grazing among the thicket near ///womb.hacksaw.maps. Steer 20's wound looked much better today, and I took a photo to share with the Grazing Team. The cows were very friendly, with several enjoying long back rubs while resting in the sun. Cow 214 and steer 227 were particularly friendly. I said my goodbyes around 12:20. All eleven were happy, relaxed and looking healthy.

There was a large military training exercise on Caesar’s this morning, with pairs of troops participating in an orienteering drill across the site. This included the very swampy area near the third group of cows, which led to some amusing moments.

The cows were all good today.

Wednesday 25th September - All 25 seen

At 15:45 this afternoon, the original eighteen Caesar's cows, along with Sussex steer 1626, were found in the pasture north of Horse Pond. They were spread out in small groups, with most lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud. Many had made comfortable beds in the bracken and heather. Steer 21 appeared to have just stood up and was chewing his cud. Youngster 227 got up, stretched, and came over to say hello. He enjoyed a neck and back rub before starting to graze. The recent rain has made his coat lovely and soft. Steer 20 was lying down again during my visit, so I couldn't check his wound. The cows were all happy, relaxed and looking well.

The other six Sussex cattle were lying down in the heather near ///grunt.spotty.satin at 16:10. They were all relaxing and chewing their cud. They were all happy and looking really well.

I went back and rejoined the first group just before 16:30. Several of the cows had shfited positions, with youngster 227 was lying down beside steer 20. Steer 21 had started grazing among the heather. I spent some time with them before saying goodbye.

The cows were all good today.

Tuesday 24th September - All 25 seen

Youngster 228 was relaxing and chewing his cud near ///waffle.scripted.lows, just north of the covered reservoir at 15:50 this afternoon. Yearlings 270 and 271 were nearby, munching on grass, while youngster 220 was grazing in the thicket. All of them were doing well.

Ten minutes later, steers 20, 35, 217, 219, 222, 227 and 230, along with cows 214 and 234, were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud near ///limits.crash.brisk. It was lovely to see steer 20 back on Caesar's, looking so well. He was lying down, so I didn't get to check his wound, but it was great to see he'd reintegrated into the herd without any issues. Cow 72 was happily grazing nearby. The cows were all relaxed and looking well.

At 16:20, Sussex steers 197 and 1640 were grazing to the south of the reservoir near ///quits.tank.shins. They both came over to say hello and enjoyed a back rub before wandering down toward ///solids.bluff.races, where Sussex steer 210 and cows 211, 212 and 1396 were happily grazing.

 

I searched the surrounding area for the five missing cows without success. After a very long search of the site, I scanned the area from the higher ground and saw most of the Caesar's original cows grazing in the pasture near ///jetted.slams.tissue at 17:45. There was no sign of steers 21, 30, 33, 1626, or cow 940.

Just before 18:40, I returned to the higher ground and saw steer 21 emerging from the thicket way off in the distance to the north. I made my way down towards the area near ///shipped.monkey.troll and found steers 30 and 33 grazing, with cow 940 nearby. Steer 21 had gone back into the thicket on the opposite side of the path with steer 1626. A few cows were grazing up near the covered reservoir, while the rest remained in the same pasture as earlier. I would love to know where the group of four had been hiding earlier.

  

The cows were all good today.