Sunday 24th August - All 25 seen - Youngster 222 has a head injury

At 09:10 this morning, I was surprised to find five Sussex cattle grazing on the slope of Sandy Hill, southwest of Horse Pond, having finally left the Gelvert reserve. They were accompanied by steers 217, 220, 222, 227, 228, 230, and 271, who were well spread out, with some reaching almost as far east as Hungry Hill. All were happily grazing on the heather and the grass growing among the bracken. From the hillside, I could also see a second group of cattle far to the north in the distance.

By 09:40, the first members of this second group had started to arrive. Steers 219, 270, and 1626, together with cow 214, stopped at Horse Pond for a drink before crossing the path to join the others. They were friendly, coming over to say hello before moving off to graze. The small white spot in the corner of youngster 219’s left eye continues to show steady improvement.

Youngster 222 has an injury to the poll on the left side of his head, likely from rough play with a herd mate. Despite this, he was just as friendly as usual, happily coming over for strokes and gentle cuddles. As the wound looked inflamed and a bit raw, I immediately phoned HIWWT and spoke to Grace. After I shared some photos, Grace attended the site and treated the injury with blue antiseptic spray, as well as applying fly spray to help keep the area clean. Here's wishing youngster 222 a speedy recovery!

While waiting for Grace, more of the second group—steers 20, 21, and 33, along with cow 234—arrived and joined the others along the edge of Horse Pond. Once they had settled, I headed north and at 10:45 found cows 72 and 940 grazing in the thicket near ///shell.smiles.suits, close to the path up to the Lookout. Both were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

When I returned to Horse Pond at 11:10, the rest of the second group had arrived. Most of the cattle were now resting under the shade of the trees west of the pond. Youngster 222, undeterred by his head injury, had ventured into the water to nibble lily pads, while cow 211 cooled her feet at the edge. She soon came over for a long neck rub, rewarding me with several licks.

When Grace arrived around 11:30, most of the herd moved into the pasture north of the pond to enjoy some cattle nuts. After she left, they continued grazing on the plentiful heather. I stayed until 12:20 to check youngster 222 was comfortable after his treatment.

Before leaving, I wandered through the trees west of the pond and found cow 211 lying down, relaxing and chewing her cud. After giving her some strokes, I moved on to find steers 220, 230, and 270 drinking at the pond before heading off to join her.

I also noted that the MoD have padlocked the gate nearest the pillbox on Sandy Hill.

With the exception of youngster 222, the cows were all good today.