Saturday 28th February - All 25 seen

At 09:25 this morning, thirteen members of the Caesar’s original herd were grazing on the slope near ///timer.memo.plug, northeast of the covered reservoir. They were very friendly, wandering over to say hello and enjoy strokes and rubs. Although damp from earlier rain, they quickly dried in the breeze. After our greetings, several drifted back to grazing, gradually making their way towards the reservoir while nibbling the surrounding pasture. The others chose to rest and chew their cud on the hillside, occasionally returning for more scratches. All thirteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 10:20, steers 21, 33, 35, 222, and 230 were grazing southwest of the Lookout, near ///quantity.laces.fade. Youngster 222 enjoyed extended neck and back scratches, while the other four moved east to browse gorse. After a good while, and plenty of gentle head rubs, he rejoined his herd mates. As I walked around to check them, the others emerged from the gorse to greet me. All five were content and in good condition. By 11:00, the sun had made a welcome appearance, and youngster 230 stood happily for a long back rub while chewing his cud, shifting backwards and forwards to ensure every itchy spot was reached. By 11:20, youngster 222 had joined him, and the pair stood peacefully in the sunshine chewing their cud, while the others continued grazing nearby.

By 11:40, Sussex steers 1626 and 1640, along with cows 211 and 1396, were resting on the hillside near ///snowy.chuck.object, southwest of the covered reservoir. While giving cow 211 a neck rub, I noticed the other three about 65 metres further northwest near the fence line. They were all relaxed, friendly, and looking great in the warm sunshine.

There was a burnt-out van on the Gelvert side of the fence, close to the Caesar’s/Gelvert dividing gate at the water treatment compound. I mentioned it to a member of the Landmarc team, who stopped for a chat while I was with the cows; he said it had been there for at least a week.

As I was leaving at 12:45, yearling 271 was lying on the hillside northeast of the reservoir, near ///edgy.bloom.mile. Most of the others were lying in the valley further north, with cow 214 and steer 219 still grazing on heather. After a few final strokes, I said my goodbyes at 13:10.

The cows were all good today.