Tuesday 15th September - All 25 seen

At 16:50 this afternoon, steers 20, 21, 30, 35, 227, 230, 270, 271 and 1626, along with cow 72, were happily grazing among the trees and bushes to the west of James Bond Pond. They were especially enjoying the leaves from the silver birch trees. As I wandered around checking on them, they would emerge from the thicket to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs in the warm sunshine. The group gradually moved further west, with youngsters 230 and 270 the first to cross the path to graze on the far side. Youngster 230 was more than happy to enjoy a long back scratch while relaxing and chewing his cud. His wound continues to heal nicely. Cow 72's ear was looking pretty much the same as at the weekend and didn't appear to be causing her any discomfort. All ten were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 17:40, youngster 222 was munching on grass at the bottom of the hill south of James Bond Pond, near ///ripen.drip.functions. Although alone, he seemed happy enough and welcomed me with gentle head rubs before standing for long neck and back scratches. He especially enjoyed his back scratch, shifting around enthusiastically to make sure I reached all his itchy spots. Afterwards, he got back to grazing and was moving absolutely fine, suggesting he just wanted some alone time. When I bid him farewell, he walked with me for a while before being distracted by another patch of grass. I reluctantly left him on his own, confident that he knew where the group of ten were, having been with them earlier in the afternoon.

At 18:00, I found youngster 197 grazing among the heather near ///tech.dwarves.lushly, north of Sandy Hill. He spotted me approaching and greeted me with several moos before walking over to say hello. After some attention, he walked with me north-east to find steers 219 and 1626 grazing near ///tidy.refilled.spike. Youngster 219 was quick to say hello and position himself for a back rub. Steer 33 and cow 940 were grazing contentedly among the bracken in the pasture on the northern side of the valley, while steers 219, 220, and 228, along with cows 214 and 234, were grazing along the side of the path further north, near ///kettles.erupts.named. They were all very friendly as I wandered around checking on them. Before I said my goodbyes just after 18:35, the group grazing along the path had moved into the pasture south of the path and were enjoying plenty of heather. All ten were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Finally, at 18:45, cow 211 was enjoying plenty of long grass growing among the bracken, near ///purist.them.fuses, close to the water treatment compound beside the covered reservoir. She was taking full advantage of not having a collar and was grazing just inside the NoFence boundary. She was very affectionate, offering gentle head rubs and plenty of licks after enjoying neck and head strokes. The other three Sussex cattle – steer 210 and cows 212 and 1396 – were grazing contentedly 50 metres further southwest. All three were looking stunning in the setting sun. The girls were happy to take breaks from their grazing to thoroughly enjoy back rubs. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well. I left them all peacefully grazing at 19:15 as the light was beginning to fade.

There was a heavy military presence at several parts of the site today, including at the cow shed and in the woodland east of James Bond Pond. There were also numerous vehicle movements, including large troop carriers and logistics trucks.

The cattle were all good today.

Update – Youngster 222 was still grazing southeast of James Bond Pond when I was leaving the site, but I kept an eye on him and, by 20:10, he had returned to the first group of ten cattle, who were now resting in the pasture near ///sock.interacts.thin.