Sunday 19th July – All 25 seen – Cow 940 has a small graze, steer 220 has a minor scratch, and steer 228's neck lump has gone

At 10:00 this morning, the seven Sussex cattle, along with steers 20, 35, 219, 227, 230, 270, and 271, and cow 72, were standing beneath the trees west of Horse Pond, relaxing and chewing their cud. They had only recently arrived, having wandered down from grazing in the pasture east of the Lookout. Sussex cow 212 was quick to come over to greet me, enjoying a long neck scratch before shuffling forward for a back scratch. While I was spending some time with youngster 270, cow 211 wandered through the trees and stood beside me, clearly wondering why I hadn't been to see her yet. After enjoying a long neck rub, she thanked me with gentle head rubs and a few licks.

The cattle gradually drifted towards the cooler western end of the area, where they began settling down to rest and chew their cud. Although it wasn't quite as hot today, and with a gentle breeze blowing, there were still plenty of flies about, with several of the cattle showing signs of watery eyes. After coming over to say hello, youngsters 227 and 230 both went to lie down deep in the bracken, which seemed to provide some relief from the many flies. The others continued to rest, happy to be approached for their checks and to receive plenty of attention. All fifteen were happy, relaxed, and looking well. I said my goodbyes at 11:10, leaving them all peacefully resting.

At 11:20, older steers 21 and 33 were resting beneath the trees east of James Bond Pond. Steer 33 was lying down, relaxing and chewing his cud, while steer 21 seemed a little more unsettled, wandering around for a while until he found a comfortable place to settle. He was happy to be approached and appreciated having the flies gently brushed away from his eyes before settling down at my feet. Both were content, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 11:50, cows 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 30, 217, 220, 222, and 228, were resting beneath the trees close to the gate into the covered reservoir, near ///slick.couches.hexes. They were all happy to be approached for their checks, with most enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. I noticed that cow 940 had a small graze on her right hindquarter. She was happy for me to give it a good check, and there were no signs of bleeding, nor did it appear to be causing her any discomfort. Youngster 220 also had a scratch on his right hindquarter, which looked very much as though it may have been caused by the horn of one of his herd mates. Again, he was fine, and it wasn't causing him any discomfort. I was also pleased to see that the lump on youngster 228's neck had completely disappeared today.

Despite all initially lying down, cows 214 and 234, and steers 222 and 228, each took their turn to get up and wander over for long back scratches. They all thoroughly enjoyed themselves, shuffling around to ensure I reached all of their itchy spots. I said my goodbyes at 12:45, leaving them looking settled and ready for a restful afternoon. Apart from the minor injuries, all eight were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

As I was leaving, I wandered past Horse Pond again and found steers 20 and 230 grazing beneath the shade of the trees on the other side of the main path. The other thirteen cattle were still lying down, although a few had changed position since my earlier visit.

The cattle were all good today.