Wednesday 19th November - All 25 seen - Sussex steer 1626 has a mite bite on his right hindquarters

At 10:55 this morning, steers 33, 35, 228, and 230 were grazing at the western end of Sandy Hill. They were all very wet from the earlier snow, sleet, and rain, but still came over to say hello, with the youngsters enjoying a few strokes. Despite the weather, they were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 11:10, cows 234 and 940, along with steers 20, 21, 197, and 222, were grazing among the gorse further east along the hill near ///verb.windy.require. To their north, a mixed group of seven cattle were grazing in the thicket on the slope of Sandy Hill. Rather than follow them into the thicket, I waited for them to come up to the top.

By 11:20, the remaining five Sussex cattle were foraging for acorns under the trees just north of Longbottom, near ///motored.basket.grit. They were very friendly, each coming over to say hello and enjoy some strokes. They seemed to enjoy having the water brushed from their backs and their coats ruffled to help them dry. I noted that Sussex steer 1626 appears to have a mite bite on his right hindquarters. It wasn’t causing him any obvious discomfort, but I have made the Grazing Team aware. All five were content and looking well.

After leaving them, I returned to the top of Sandy Hill, where all the cattle had now emerged from the thicket. Several had wandered west along the hill to graze, including cow 72 and steer 219, both of whom were very friendly and enjoyed long neck rubs. The others were browsing gorse close to the spot where they'd come out of the thicket. A couple had small traces of blood around their front ankles—likely from catching themselves on the gorse or bramble—but there were no underlying injuries, and they were otherwise fine.

Finally, at 11:50, youngster 227 and yearlings 270 and 271 were grazing in the gorse at the northeast corner of Horse Pond. They were very friendly and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs despite still being rather wet. Concerned that they appeared to be drifting further away from the rest of the herd, I walked them back to Longbottom, where the Sussex cattle were still foraging for acorns. Youngster 227 followed me most of the way up Sandy Hill before getting distracted by some tasty grass. At the top, steers 197, 217, 219, 220, 222, and 1640, along with cows 214 and 234, were waiting.

After giving a nearly dry youngster 222 some extra neck and back scratches—and receiving gentle head rubs in return—I said my goodbyes at 12:35, leaving them all resting peacefully in the chilly wind.

The cows were all good today.