Sunday 30th August - All 4 seen

At 15:20 this afternoon, the cattle were resting in the woodland east of the large pool by the fire hydrant sign, near ///doubt.could.activism. A light shower was passing over, so they had sensibly taken shelter among the trees. I had parked in the Velmead Woods car park at that end of the site and, as I made my way along the path outside the boundary, steer 200 spotted me. He soon got to his feet and came over to the fence line to say hello, with the other three quickly following his lead. As I continued along the path towards the kissing gate to enter the site, the four of them wandered alongside me, before giving me a much warmer welcome once I was inside.

After our initial greetings, the cattle gathered around me, content to stand and chew their cud, occasionally stepping forward for a few head strokes. After a while, steer 200 leaned in for a longer shoulder rub before shuffling forward into position for a long back scratch. While steer 200 was being fussed over, the others stood beside me, continuing to chew their cud and occasionally stopping to snack on the surrounding gorse and leaves. By 15:50, cow 201 had drifted off into the pasture to the southwest to graze, with the boys gradually following her one by one. I said my goodbyes at 16:05, leaving them all peacefully grazing among the bracken as some late afternoon sunshine broke through. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

Before leaving, I returned to the fire hydrant sign to check the water levels. There was still plenty of drinking water available, both in the main pool and in the surrounding run-off areas.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday

 All found all looking fine on the east side of the hill at 8am. 

3.30pm, Thursday 27 Aug, All 4 sitting down along the tree line aside Tweseldown racecourse near Brock Hill

Looking well although lots of flies still buzzing around their eyes.  2 chewing 2 just sat staring.

Pond still has water but getting low.  The morning rain too brief to make any difference.  Didn’t pass the water hydrant area today.

Tuesday 25 August - On Brock’s Hill

The four were in a huddle on the northern side of Brock’s Hill at 1020 this morning. They all appeared well but are still uncertain of me and remain alert with at least one keeping an eye on me all the time. 

Mondag 24th - Fly Spray for the 4 cattle

Hi All, 

Found the cows not far from the spring area enjoying the cool of the forest. 

Spring still flowing fine, I saw the break in the barb, and have twisted it up for the time being, as i didnt have the right tools in the truck to fix it. 

Passed it on to reserves team.

Thanks for keeping an eye on the cattle.

Grazing Team

Sunday 23rd August – All 4 seen – Fence damage near the Fire Hydrant sign & NoFence collars triggering when cattle drink from the adjacent pool

At 15:50 this afternoon, the cattle were happily grazing in the southwest corner of the site, enjoying plenty of grass and leaves from the trees and bushes. They were all friendly, pausing their grazing to come over and say hello, with steer 200 especially enjoying some neck and shoulder scratches. Afterwards, they gathered around me, content to just relax and chew their cud. The flies were out in force today, swarming around their eyes and noses as well as gathering across their shoulders and sides. They all appreciated having the flies gently brushed from their faces, but the relief was short-lived, with the flies quickly returning.

After a while, the cattle drifted off into the surrounding area to resume grazing, gradually venturing north towards the corral, but steer 200 didn't venture far. He would return and come right up to me, content to just stand with me while I helped keep the flies from his face. He also thoroughly enjoyed a long back rub, shifting forwards and backwards to ensure I didn't miss a spot. The others soon returned too, happy to rest in the shade and chew their cud. By 16:40, they had started grazing again, crossing the main path and heading over to the trees and bushes by the western fence line. I said my goodbyes soon after and headed off to check the water. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well, although they certainly had to contend with plenty of flies today.

The pond still had some water in it, but with very little rain in the last week, the level continues to drop. There is still water pooled at the fire hydrant sign in the northwest corner of the site, as well as in the surrounding run-off areas. I noticed there was some fence damage by the fire hydrant sign, with the second-from-bottom strand of barbed wire missing and appearing to have been either cut or snapped (photos below).

At 16:55, I had just set off to say a final goodbye to the cattle when I heard some noise nearby in the woodland and looked over to see them approaching. All four wandered over before heading on to have a refreshing drink from the pools. Whilst drinking from the larger pool near the hydrant sign, steer 200's collar gave an audible warning, and he quickly moved off, but soon joined cow 201 and steer 207 drinking from the water in the run-off area. Please could the NoFence boundary be extended slightly to prevent this from happening? I said my goodbyes just after 17:10, leaving them all resting peacefully in the woodland.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday

 All found looking fine on north flank of the hill at 8am.