Wednesday 13th August - All 25 seen

At 16:40 this afternoon, steers 30, 220, 222, 230, 270, 271, and 1626, along with cows 72 and 940, were relaxing in the pasture north of James Bond Pond, near ///shelf.autumn.penny. Most were lying down, resting and chewing their cud. Youngster 222 came over for a long neck rub, before lying down at my feet, eager for more attention. Cow 72 also enjoyed a head and neck rub while resting, and the lump on her neck has now completely disappeared. All nine were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 17:05, youngster 228 appeared in the distance, grazing near ///berated.blogs.skate. Steers 21 and 227 were resting behind the gorse bushes further northwest near ///sleepless.revise.roofer. All three had been grazing in the pasture to the north when I first arrived. When I returned to the main group at 17:20, steer 228 had joined them and was now lying down, chewing his cud. All three were content and in good condition.

At 17:30, steers 20, 33, 35, and 217, along with cows 214 and 234, were lying down near ///much.slimming.crouch, relaxing and chewing their cud. They looked very comfortable in the cooler conditions. Recent rainfall had partially refilled the large pool of water behind them, providing extra drinking water. All six were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 17:55, four of the Sussex cattle, along with youngster 219, were grazing enthusiastically on the grass along the side of the larger fishing lake on the Gelvert site. They were all very friendly, stopping to come over for strokes and rubs. Cow 211 was grazing alone on the opposite side of the lake, near ///hunk.whisk.builders. She, too, was enjoying the lush grass but stopped for a long neck rub. All six were happy and healthy.

At around 18:25, Sussex cow 1396 was grazing alone near ///laces.toward.rice. She had become separated from the others earlier and was wandering further away from them. Although she was completely fine and grazing happily, I was concerned she was outside the grazing boundary on a site she isn't very familiar with. I encouraged her to follow me back to the others by the fishing lakes. She would repeatedly walk for a bit and then stop to graze on some particularly tempting patches of grass before continuing. She was reunited with her herd mates at 18:50, with youngster 219 coming out to meet us as we approached. After giving me a head nudge—presumably to say thank you—she walked to the water’s edge for a drink. Cow 211 soon came over for another neck rub before I said my goodbyes just after 19:10.

The cows were all good today.