Wednesday 17th June - All 25 seen

At 17:10 this afternoon, youngster 219 and the seven Sussex cattle were resting on the grassy island and in the surrounding area southwest of James Bond Pond, near ///gears.flagging.will. They were all relaxing and chewing their cud. There were plenty of flies around, but they didn’t seem particularly bothered. They were all happy to be approached and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs as I made my way around checking on them. All eight were happy, settled, and looking well.

At 17:55, cows 72, 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 20, 33, 220, 222, and 271, were spread out resting in the pasture near ///arose.thud.campsites northeast of Horse Pond. Steers 30 and 217 were grazing in the surrounding area, while steer 35 was grazing in the tall grass on the far side of the path to the southeast. Several of the group had settled down in the bracken, using it to help keep the flies at bay. Cow 234 thoroughly enjoyed a long back scratch, getting to her feet as I approached and regularly shifting position to make sure I reached all her itchy spots. I said my goodbyes around 18:40, leaving most of the group peacefully grazing, while a few were still lying down and relaxing. All twelve were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 18:50, steers 227, 228, and 270 were grazing along the sides of the path near ///bakers.herds.haunt, southeast of the covered reservoir. They were all very friendly, taking turns to wander over and greet me, enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs before returning to graze. Older steer 21 was happily grazing around the tall bracken on the hillside to the northwest. After a while, I spotted youngster 230 emerging from around the side of the covered reservoir, before stopping on the hillside to rest and chew his cud. He gradually moved further down the slope towards me, but then decided he was perfectly comfortable where he was and waited for me to wander over and check on him. He was very friendly, quickly leaning in for a neck scratch before shuffling forward for a back rub. After we were done, he rested for a short while before returning to grazing among the bracken. I went back over to spend some more time with the other four before saying my goodbyes at 19:30, leaving them all happy, relaxed, and looking well.

The cows were all good today.