Friday 8th March - 15 seen

The fifteen original Caesar's cows were all together, but on the move at 13:45 this afternoon. They were wandering through the wooded area that runs alongside Beacon Hill Road, at the very end of the site. They got to the area around ///info.ideals.hops ten minutes later. Several of the cows started to graze on the grass at the side of the main path, while most preferred to relax in the sunshine while chewing their cud. They slowly followed the path southeast, stopping regularly to rest. The cows were all looking good today and weren't scratching themselves like they had been in recent visits, so the spray must be doing its job. Thanks to the Grazing team for sorting.

Steer 35's foot was looking a bit pink today, however, he was okay and was walking absolutely fine. He looked very relaxed and was enjoying the warm sunshine. There was no sign of the Sussex cattle today. The fifteen original cows were all good this afternoon.

cows sprayed

With a spell of dry weather we have managed to spray all the cows. This should help with all the hir loss and raw patches after a few days.

Thanks,

Grazing team

Wednesday 6th March - All 22 seen

I was pleasantly surprised to find eleven of the original Caesar's cows with the seven Sussex cows in the area around ///lodge.ready.laughs at 11:00 this morning.  Initially, steer 20 and cow 940 were lying down, with the others all spread out happily grazing.  Cow 211 was her usual friendly self and came over to say hello and lick my hand several times.  She was happy to receive an ear rub in return.

Over the next hour, all but one cow lay down and started to relax and chew their cud.  Youngster 217 preferred to have a long scratch against the same tree that steer 35 was found at on Sunday.  When he was done, he was happy to stand, rest and chew his cud.  It took a while for the fog to clear, but by noon, it had turned into a nice warm sunny day.

The other four steers were found in the area around ///cabin.onto.outs near James Bond pond at 12:20.  Steers 35 and 222 were lying down in the sun, with steers 230 and 271 grazing nearby.  Steer 230 soon lay down..  Yearling 271 continued to graze until 12:45 before joining them.  Youngster 222 was really enjoying the sun and was happy to lie on his side and snooze.

At one point, steer 35 rolled over to clean himself and exposed his belly.  Unfortunately, it revealed his sore patch was significantly larger than what I could see on my last two visits.  His foot wasn't looking as red today and appeared to be on the mend.  Photos of his belly and foot have been shared with the Grazing Team.

I returned to the first group at 13:20 to find the seven Sussex cows wandering off on their own.  They headed off to the southeast, where they started to graze.  The group of eleven continued to rest in the warm sunshine and didn't show any signs that they were going to follow.

The cows were all good today.

Tuesday 5th March - 15 seen

Steers 20, 30, 33, 219 and 228 plus cows 72 and 940 were all found in the area around ///stones.liver.haunt at 12:30 this afternoon.  They were alternating between munching on grass and standing, chewing their cud.  They were all rather wet following some earlier rain.  All seven were happy and relaxed.  After a while, they headed off east along Longbottom.

Steer 21 was standing relaxing and chewing his cud around ///initial.scream.tapers at 13:00.  Youngsters 217 and 219 plus yearling 270 were eating in the gorse bushes beside him.  Youngsters 222 and 230 were lying down, resting and chewing their cud a little to the north around ///last.heave.thatched.  Steer 35 was standing between them in some bracken.  Yearling 271 was eating in the gorse bushes behind them, but he soon came and lay down.

Buzz (steer 35) was a lot more comfortable today, with the antiseptic spray stopping his itching.  His side still looked sore, but it didn't appear to be causing him any issues.  His "graffiti" had washed away with the rain.  He was standing, relaxing and chewing his cud, with his full weight on his sore foot.  His cut didn't look as red as it did on Sunday.

At 13.20 steers 21, 217, 220 and 270 heard a vehicle in the distance which piqued their interest.  They all wandered off to investigate.  I went to find them about ten minutes later, and they were all standing together in the sun just along from the Lookout.  They were standing next to a van being used by the army.  The other four steers were all still resting and did not show any signs of following.

The seven Sussex cows eluded me once again today.  Planning on having a proper search for them tomorrow.

The fifteen original cows were all good today.

Sunday 3rd March - 15 seen - Steer 35 has cut his rear right foot

Steers 20, 30, 33, 219 and 228 plus cows 72 and 940 were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud in the area around ///loans.roofs.head at 14.30 this afternoon.  Youngster 219 was doing his best to hide in the heather, but poked his head up to say hello.  All seven cows were looking really well.

Youngsters 217, 220, 222, 230 and yearlings 270 and 271 were all lying down, resting and chewing their cud around ///ropes.scout.hears at 14:55.  Older steer 21 was munching on gorse nearby.  Oddly, there was no sign of older steer 35, so I started to search the surrounding area for him.  About twenty minutes later, the steers started to get up and soon joined steer 21 in grazing.

At 15:25, I spotted steer 35 in the distance.  He was having a good scratch against the tree at ///fuzz.arise.braked.  Initially he was rubbing his head, but soon moved onto his sides and then his rear end.  Sadly he had an injury, having cut the inside of his rear right foot.  He also had some red cuts and scratches just above his ankle. Additionally, he had some sores on his left-hand side, close to his rear left leg.  I promptly informed Lottie at HIWWT, who advised they would check on Buzz (steer 35) first thing in the morning.

Buzz continued to scratch himself for a good ten minutes before stopping to rest.  He then headed northeast to the area around ///strange.expel.crops, getting further away from the others.  He seemed to be walking okay.  Buzz had a drink of water from a deep puddle and then just stood and rested.  I saw in the distance that his herd mates were heading southwest towards Horse Pond.  Really concerned that he was going to be left on his own, I persuaded him to follow me in the same direction.  He would walk for about 50 metres and then rest, frequently licking his sore foot.   

By 16:20, we reached ///ruin.pack.regress, where Buzz could see his friends grazing in the thicket to the southeast.  It appeared he wasn't going to walk any further, so I called out to the others a few times.  After some loud mooing, they started to head in our direction.  When he saw they were coming, Buzz let out a couple of moos and started to eat some heather.  Steer 21 was the first to arrive, and the pair were joyfully reunited at 16:40.  The other six were close by.  I stayed for another twenty minutes, and Buzz continued to graze alongside steer 21.

I didn't have time to look for the other seven cows today. 

Here's hoping that Buzz is okay and makes a speedy recovery.

Saturday 2nd March - All 22 seen

Steers 21, 35, 217, 220, 222, 230, 270 and 271 were well spread out, grazing in the gorse bushes around ///liver.float.sung at 10:50 this morning.  I was surprised how dry they were, considering the heavy overnight and early morning rain.  They were all happy, relaxed and looking well.  I spent quite a while searching for older steer 33 in the thicket, only to discover he had swapped groups since Thursday evening.

Steers 33 and 228 plus cow 72 were relaxing and chewing their cud on Sandy Hill around ///rebel.senders.whom at 12:10.  They were looking well.  Steer 219 and cow 940 were happily eating grass a little further west along the hill.  All five soon joined up and wandered west to the very end of the hill, where they continued to graze.  Older steers 20 and 30 were found grazing in the gorse bushes at the bottom of the hill around ///intent.making.rural a while later.

After a long search, I found cows 211 and 1396 munching on heather in the area around ///rifled.crumple.hook just along from the Lookout at 13:55.  I got a lovely welcome from cow 211, with her coming straight over to say hello and giving my hand several licks.  She was happy to receive a head rub in return.  The other five Sussex cows were grazing in the gorse bushes in the area behind.  They slowly came out and all joined up, with the sun making a rare appearance for a while.  The cows were all happy and relaxed and looking okay.  Unfortunately, they had more bald patches on them today.

As I was leaving site at 14:30, I ran into the first eight steers again in the area around  ///vows.walks.shirts.   They were all lying down, resting and chewing their cud.  They had made beds out of the bracken.  The two yearlings were looking very relaxed.

The cows were all good today.