At 10:15 this morning, cow 214 and steers 219, 1626, and 1640 were gathered near ///sting.refills.lame, southwest of the Lookout. They were all relaxing and chewing their cud, with youngster 219 lying down. The four were very friendly, happily accepting plenty of strokes and rubs. Youngster 222 must have heard my voice, as he wandered over to join the group, greeting me with gentle head rubs before standing for a long neck and back scratch.
About 35 metres further north, cows 72, 234, and 940, along with steers 20, 21, 30, 33, 35, 217, 220, 227, 228, 270, and 271, were all gathered. Gradually, they started to settle down to rest and chew their cud. Before doing so, many wandered over to greet me, happily accepting neck, shoulder, and back scratches. After a while, Sussex steer 197 emerged from the gorse bushes to the east and wandered over to say hello. The whole group, including the initial five who had joined them, was happy to be approached for some extra attention, particularly enjoying neck and ear rubs. After a relaxing neck scratch, youngster 227 rolled over onto his side for a belly rub.
I noticed that cow 72 has a cut alongside the metal ear tag in her left ear. I first noticed the cut yesterday and wanted to check how it looked today. She was more than happy for me to check it out, and it appears as though the tag may be causing the cut. The tag is very tight against the top of her ear, and there is a definite ridge on the edge of the ear where it has been digging in. I remember us having to remove cow 940's metal tag a while back when she had a similar issue, and in her case, the cut became infected. We'll need to keep a careful eye on cow 72's left ear to make sure the cut doesn't get any worse.
Around 11:45, I said my goodbyes and went off to find the final five cattle who had been grazing among the heather in the pasture to the south of the Lookout. When I arrived there, I quickly noticed they had moved on, so I wandered down to the path below, near ///purse.koala.cubs, where cows 211, 212, and 1396, along with steers 210 and 230, were just emerging from the thicket. They all said hello and were happy to receive plenty of strokes and rubs. They gradually moved east, grazing on the grass along the side of the path, until they reached the start of the slope up to the Lookout. There were many people and dogs about, so they quickly moved into the thicket, where they continued grazing in the very swampy area near ///growl.observe.short. The four Sussex cattle quickly moved through the worst of the mud, while youngster 230 preferred to stay with me for extra back scratches. After a good while, he wandered off to catch up with his new friends. All five were happy, relaxed, and looking well.
At 12:20, I climbed back up the hill to give the first group a quick final check, and found most were still lying down and chewing their cud. Steers 33, 35, 197, and 1640 had moved south to where I'd found the initial four this morning, with steer 197 lying down while the others stood nearby. After a short while, one of the Landmarc trucks pulled up and we had a good catch-up. While chatting, youngster 219 came wandering over and positioned himself for another back scratch, much to the amusement of the Landmarc team member. I said my goodbyes shortly before 13:00, just as a light shower was passing overhead, leaving them all happy and relaxed, albeit with a number of the group now on their feet.
Except for cow 72's ear, the cattle were all good today.
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