Wednesday 1st July - All 25 seen - Cow 211 has slipped her collar

At 16:50 this afternoon, steer 217 was lying down just outside the cow shed, while steers 230 and 271, along with cows 214 and 234, were relaxing and chewing their cud inside. Youngster 227 was grazing further south, but gradually made his way back towards the shed. There were many flies around today, and youngster 217 seemed to be particularly bothered by them. The conditions were a little cooler inside the shed, and there were fewer flies, making it a more comfortable spot for them to rest. All four in the shed came over to say hello and enjoyed long neck and back scratches. Youngster 227 came straight over to greet me when he spotted me, leaning in for an extra-long head and neck rub before rewarding me with gentle head rubs in return. All six were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

By 17:40, the seven Sussex cattle, along with steers 35 and 219, were resting along the southern bank of Horse Pond. Most were initially standing in the water, while steer 35 and 1626 stood together under the trees to the east. After a short while, the other six Sussex cattle gathered around me, seemingly happy to stand close while I helped keep the flies away from their faces. They all enjoyed plenty of strokes as they relaxed and chewed their cud. Cow 211’s eye was looking much better today, and she gave me plenty of licks after I checked it thoroughly. Steers 35 and 1626 soon wandered over to say hello, before the group started to drift off into the pasture across the path to the south, where they began grazing in the sunshine. All nine were content, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 18:20, the remaining ten cattle were resting in the shade among the trees and bushes at the northeast corner of James Bond Pond, near ///glider.wolves.puppy. Most were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud, with steers 21, 30, 228, and 270 all standing. After saying hello, youngster 270 emerged from the bushes and wandered over to have a refreshing drink from the pond. Youngster 222 soon got up and came over to greet me, enjoying lots of attention. Several of the others soon followed, taking turns to come over and enjoy plenty of strokes and scratches. By 19:00, cow 72, along with steers 220, 222, and 228, had ventured out into the pasture to the west to graze. Cow 940, along with steers 20, 21, 30, 33, and 270, preferred to remain in the shade, resting peacefully. I said my goodbyes at 19:15, leaving all ten happy, relaxed, and looking well.

I noted that cow 211 had slipped her collar when I saw her at Horse Pond. This is definitely the longest she has managed to tolerate wearing her necklace! One of the locals, who I regularly see when checking on the cows, mentioned that there was a collar on the post by the buoy in the southeast corner of the pond. I wandered over and collected it, confirming it was indeed cow 211’s.

The cows were all good today.