Sunday 9th February - All 25 seen

Steers 21, 35, 217, 222, and 271 were grazing near ///glad.spit.codes at 10:30 this morning. Though slightly damp, they were all happy, relaxed, and in good health. Youngster 217's eye was completely fine today, showing no signs of yesterday's issue. He spotted me and came over to say hello before returning to graze in the gorse bushes.

Further south, older steers 20, 30, and 33 were grazing deep in the gorse bushes near ///alive.froth.lamps at 10:50. They didn't seem in any hurry to come out and were tricky to reach, but all three were happy and looked well. I returned to find them out in the open near ///tubes.limit.twigs at noon. Steers 30 and 33 were munching on heather, while steer 20 stood watching over the site as he relaxed and chewed his cud.

At 11:20, cows 72, 214, 234, and 940, along with steers 220, 227, 228, 230, and 271, were spread out grazing among the gorse bushes near ///horn.port.cured on Hungry Hill. They were all very friendly and came over to greet me, with youngsters 227 and 230 enjoying long back rubs. By 11:45, they began emerging from the bushes, with several taking big drinks from the large puddles. Youngster 220 settled down to rest and chew his cud. All nine cattle were content, relaxed, and in good health.

Steers 210 and 219 were happily grazing near ///rollers.sulk.skate at the Shell garage end of the site at 12:30, enjoying plenty of gorse. The remaining six Sussex cattle were resting a little further east near ///decent.easily.toast. They were all happy and relaxed. Cow 211 was especially affectionate today, thoroughly enjoying having the sides of her neck and back scratched before rewarding me with gentle head rubs and plenty of licks. After a while, steers 210 and 219 joined the others and soon started to relax. I said my goodbyes at 13:00, leaving them peacefully resting and chewing their cud.

The cows were all good today.

Saturday 8th February - All 25 seen - Youngster 217 has a teary right eye

Cows 72 and 940, along with steers 220 and 228, were grazing west of the pillbox on Sandy Hill at 09:30 this morning. The boys were initially tucked away in the gorse bushes, but soon emerged to greet me and be checked over. 

By 09:50, cows 214 and 234, along with steers 227, 230, and 270, were grazing further east on the slope of Sandy Hill near ///cadet.cherry.fence. Youngsters 227 and 230 were especially friendly, happily enjoying back scratches despite being rather wet. All nine cattle were content, relaxed, and in good health.

At 10:20, the seven Sussex cattle and youngster 219 were spread out grazing in the pasture near ///shot.electric.grasp. They were all enjoying plenty of gorse and were happy and relaxed. However, I’ve noticed that the bald patches on their sides and hindquarters are becoming increasingly widespread. Hopefully, the weather will improve soon so they can be sprayed.

The final group of eight steers was found north of the covered reservoir at 11:05, near //kitchen.torso.veto. Steers 33 and 35 were resting and chewing their cud, while the others grazed contentedly despite the frequent showers. Youngster 222 and yearling 271 wisely took shelter  shelter among the bushes while munching on gorse.

I suspect youngster 217 may have poked his right eye on some gorse. It appeared slightly teary, and he seemed to prefer keeping it partially closed while resting. However, he could still open it, and there were no obvious signs of injury, redness, or stickiness. I’ll keep a close eye on him tomorrow to ensure it doesn’t develop into a bigger issue.

The cows were all good today.

Notice of holiday dates

 Just to let you know that I will be on holiday on the following dates so won’t be able to carry out my ‘looker’ duties. Dates as follows

24th March - 31st March inclusive

7th May - 21st May inclusive.

Friday 7th February - All 25 seen

 Between 08:30 - 10:50

All 25 have been seen today. They were in two loose groups, one between Sandy Hill Road and James Bond pond near ///toffee.allowable.claps. The rest were between JB pond and the lookout at the following locations ///polar,firms.honey ///decorate.state.grudging and ///.throat.functions.nuzzling. I noticed today that the missing patches of some of their coats seemed to be getting worse, particularly noticeable on the Sussex’s. I have included a photo of the back of steer 219.

All the cows seemed happy eating the gorse and all were moving without any signs of discomfort.