Sunday 13th September – All 25 seen – Cow 72 has a cut on her left ear alongside her metal ear tag

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 is. 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.

Saturday 12th September - All 25 seen

At 09:00 this morning, steer 197 and cow 940 were happily grazing on the patches of grass at the far western end of Sandy Hill. Cow 214 and youngster 222 had wandered off down Longbottom, munching on the grass on both sides of the path. They were both very friendly, stopping to say hello and enjoy long neck and back scratches. When I said goodbye, they both followed me back, stopping briefly to forage for acorns under one of the larger trees. By 09:35, steers 33 and 219, along with the seven Sussex cattle, were well spread out among the gorse bushes near ///warp.scraper.router. They all gradually emerged from the bushes to say hello, have their checks, and enjoy plenty of fuss. They all appreciated having the loose gorse brushed from their backs. Soon after, the entire group started to lie down on the grassy areas to relax and chew their cud, after drinking from the puddles. All twelve were happy, relaxed, and looking well. At 10:30, steers 220, 227, and 230 were lying down, relaxing and chewing their cud in the pasture north of James Bond Pond, near ///retrial.automate.cheek. Youngster 227 was quick to get up to greet me and enjoy a back scratch. The other ten cattle were well spread out in the surrounding area, enjoying plenty of heather, gorse, and leaves from the silver birch trees. They were all very friendly as I made my way around checking on them. After a short while, the resting three got up and joined the others. By 11:20, all but youngster 270 had gathered further west, near the ridge, where they began to lie down to rest and doze. They were happy for me to join them, with many enjoying more strokes and rubs. Youngster 230's wound continues to heal nicely and looks better each day. By noon, youngster 270 was still grazing on his own in the pasture northwest of James Bond Pond, near ///flush.cloak.cabin. I wandered over to check on him, and he was busy eating heather but seemed happy for some company. After a short while, he wandered over to the pond for a drink, before we walked back together to join the others, with him mooing several times as we approached. After another long back scratch, he settled down to rest. I said my goodbyes at 12:35, leaving them all peacefully resting. All thirteen were happy, relaxed, and in good condition. As I was leaving, the group of twelve were grazing in the thicket to the west of James Bond Pond, near ///smirks.units.mows. They were gradually moving north and looked likely to be heading over to meet up with the other group. I bid them farewell at 13:00, leaving them all peacefully grazing. I was curious on Wednesday about where youngster 227 had got all the soot on his face, neck, and shoulders, and discovered that a large area of gorse bushes near ///dozens.fills.issuer had been burnt in a fairly recent fire. The cattle were all good today.

Friday 11th September - All 25 seen

 Between 06:00 - 08:30

All have been seen in two groups this morning.

Firstly, at ///automate.dragging.rejected which is very close to the Beacon Hill Road entrance were 072,035,220,271,021,227,270,234,020,228,230,030 and 217. Most of the group were still lying down with the rest eating the young gorse shoots and heather. Sarah was by far the friendliest of this group enjoying a long back and neck rubs. 217 had wandered in amongst the tall trees but came out for back rub when he saw me.

The second group were at ///cheese.palace.codes near the sandy area at the Aldershot end of the site. This included all 7 Sussex’s, 214,940,219,222 and 033. They were all making their way across the sandy area in the direction of the cow shed. Sussex 211 and steers 219, 222 were happy to stop for back rubs. 219 seemed to enjoy have the various bits of gorse etc brushed off his back.

All the cattle were good this morning.