Sunday 11th October - All 4 seen

Shortly after 15:00 this afternoon, the cattle were resting beside the pond, relaxing and chewing their cud. Before heading over to see them, I checked the water level, which remained low but was slightly higher than last week. By the time I was finished, steers 200 and 208 had come over and were patiently waiting to greet me. After the boys had said hello and enjoyed a few strokes, cow 201 also wandered over to join us. Steer 207, who had been sitting slightly further away, seemed not to have noticed I was there, but soon got to his feet and came over to say hello as well.

The four soon gathered around me, peacefully chewing their cud in the sunshine. Steers 200 and 208 took turns stepping forward to enjoy lengthy back scratches, leaning into them whenever I found a particularly itchy spot. Steer 207 had been looking on with interest, so once they were done, he enjoyed a scratch too while standing in the shade of a nearby tree. Cow 201 was far more interested in grazing and wandered off on her own into the bushes to browse on leaves. About ten minutes later, she returned and ambled over to stand beside me, contentedly chewing her cud. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

I said my goodbyes shortly before 16:00, leaving them peacefully chewing their cud in the afternoon sunshine.

Before leaving, I took a walk over to the Fire Hydrant sign to check the water levels. There was still plenty of water in both the main pool and the surrounding run-off areas.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday

 Couldn’t find them this morning at 8am. 

Staff Check Fri 9th Oct

All fine looking well in woodland NE corner bordering test track.

Still water present and accessible.

Thanks,

Jack

Weds pm (belated) 7th Oct, all 4 together between Brock Hill & race course. Just a cursory glance but they looked fine.

All standing and eating grass/gorse

2.30, Mon 5th Oct, all four found under the large chestnut tree, munching happily

All easy to find today, on the right as you enter Long Valley.  No chorus of moos for me but as usual they stared quietly as I approached.  It was a lovely warm afternoon and they all appeared well eating grass/chestnuts/gorse

Sunday 4th October - All 4 seen

At 16:15 this afternoon, the cattle were standing just to the northeast of the main entrance. I received a lovely welcome, with them greeting me with a chorus of moos. They were all relaxing and chewing their cud, with the silver birch trees providing shade from the warm afternoon sunshine. They were all friendly, taking turns to come over to say hello and enjoy a few strokes.

Afterwards, all four gathered around me to relax and chew their cud. Cow 201 was keen to step forward and stand beside me, with me helping to keep the flies away from her face. Steers 200 and 208 both thoroughly enjoyed long back scratches, shifting around enthusiastically when I found a particularly itchy spot. Steer 207 was content to just stand close and chew his cud. All four were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Steer 200's walking was much improved today, with barely any sign of his previous injury, which was tremendous to see.

I said my goodbyes shortly after 17:00, leaving cow 201 and steer 207 grazing around the chestnut tree, near ///restrict.swipes.named. Steer 207 was occasionally enjoying some of the sweet chestnuts lying on the ground. Steers 200 and 208 were standing in the shade alongside the main entrance, peacefully relaxing and chewing their cud.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday

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

Sunday 27th September - All 4 seen

At 15:50 this afternoon, the cattle were resting at the side of the pond, relaxing and chewing their cud. As I approached, steer 200 and cow 201 got to their feet and came over to say hello, both enjoying a few strokes. Steers 207 and 208 soon followed, coming over to greet me too. Steer 200's walking still wasn't perfect today, but it was much better than when I last saw him. Judging by his muddy feet, he's certainly not having any trouble getting down to the pond for a drink! Hopefully, he's well on the mend now.

After our initial greetings, the cattle soon gathered around me to relax and chew their cud. Steers 200 and 208 took turns stepping forward to enjoy long back scratches. Steer 207 was clearly curious and soon stepped forward too. He was initially a bit unsure, but soon started to relax and enjoy it until steer 200 gave him a little dunt with his head, sending him wandering off. Cow 201 was content to just stand close and chew her cud. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

Around 16:25, it started to lightly rain, but the cattle weren't the slightest bit bothered and continued to stand around me, relaxing and chewing their cud. Steers 200 and 208 were both happy to have the rain brushed off their coats before I said my goodbyes at 16:45, leaving all four peacefully resting.

There was still plenty of drinking water in the pond, with the level looking similar to last weekend. Before leaving, I took a walk over to the Fire Hydrant sign to check the water levels, where I found plenty of water remaining in both the main pool and the surrounding run-off areas.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday

 All found spread out to the east of the hill at 9am. All looking fine and 200 seemed to be moving ok,

25th September - Staff check

All 4 behind the pond, near the racecourse fenceline. Steer 200 still a bit reluctant to walk on his front leg, perhaps still a bit tender, but doesn't seem too bad. Others all fine. 

Thursday 24th September - All 4 seen

They were easy to spot in the open at the north of the site at 1015 this morning. Initially I could only see three and the NoFence map was showing one at the SE of the site, but as I got closer I could see that the fourth was lying down near the others. All appeared well.

11.15am, Mon 21 Sep, all 4 standing in the fire hydrant area.

An easy find today and they looked to be fine although a large number of flies were bothering 208 which was the closest one to me over the fence.  Plenty of water still there but didn’t check the pond.

Also noticed the barb wire fence is still broken in that area.

I’m away next week Monday so unavailable to see them then.

Sunday 20th September - All 4 seen - Steer 200 has some damage to the outer claw of his left forefoot and is still walking tentatively, although better than last weekend.

At 15:45 this afternoon, the cattle were gathered at the side of the pond, resting in the sunshine. They were all friendly, taking turns to step forward and say hello, happily accepting a few head strokes. Unfortunately, the sunshine had brought out the flies, but the cattle didn't seem too bothered. Steer 200 was quick to position himself for a shoulder rub, which I was only too happy to provide.

After our initial greetings, the cattle soon gathered around me to relax and chew their cud. They were happy to stand close and appreciated having the flies gently brushed from their eyes. Cow 201 is normally a little shyer than the others, but today she was very relaxed and happily enjoyed some neck scratches while resting. Steers 200 and 208 both enjoyed long back scratches. By 16:20, steers 200 and 207 had drifted off to lie down and relax in the sunshine, while cow 201 and steer 208 moved under the shade of the trees, where they continued to chew their cud.

I noticed that steer 200 had some damage to the outer claw of his left forefoot. A section of the hoof wall at the toe has broken away, leaving a partially detached flap of hoof horn. Although he didn't wander too far today, he was still walking tentatively on his front feet, but his walking was nowhere near as bad as last weekend. He also hesitated for a few minutes before lying down. Once he was lying down, I noted that the detached flap of hoof horn extends to the edge of the sole. I have included a few photos for reference.

I said my goodbyes shortly after 16:30, leaving them resting peacefully. 

There was still plenty of drinking water in the pond, with the level looking similar to last weekend. Before leaving, I took a walk over to the Fire Hydrant sign to check the water levels, where I found plenty of water remaining in both the main pool and the surrounding run-off areas.

With the exception of steer 200, the cattle were all good today.

 

Saturday

 I couldn’t find the cows today at 8am 

STAFF CHECK Tuesday 15th September

Arrived to remove the lame cow that Gordon had contacted the grazing team directly about yesterday.

#200 is walking fine this morning, a very barely noticeable gait to his front stride which suggests he possibly tweaked his foot, which Gordon had noticed on Sunday and it has since eased up not requiring treatment.

All cattle looking well in themselves

Thank you for your continued support

The grazing team

Sunday 13th September – All 4 seen – Steer 200 is limping on his front right foot

At 15:15 this afternoon, despite the light rain, steer 200 was resting and chewing his cud near ///trusts.layover.query, west of the Gelvert Bottom ditch. Cow 201 was grazing nearby, while steers 207 and 208 were grazing on the far side of the ditch among the bracken. There were a large number of flies around today, but the cattle didn't appear too bothered. Steer 200 was happy to be approached and enjoyed some head and ear rubs, which helped to keep the flies away from his eyes. Steers 207 and 208 soon made their way over to say hello, both rather damp from the rain, but happy nonetheless.

After our initial greetings, steer 200 got to his feet and all four gathered around me to relax and chew their cud. Steer 200 and steer 208 both enjoyed long back scratches while resting. All four appreciated having the flies gently brushed from their eyes whenever they settled there. By 15:45, the cattle began to drift away to graze in the surrounding area. Steer 200 lingered with me for a while longer before wandering off to join the others. It was then that I spotted he was limping on what appeared to be his front right foot. He was able to walk, albeit with some discomfort, and was still able to graze and keep up with the others. I initially thought he might just have been stiff from resting, but sadly his limping continued. I gave both his front legs and hooves a good check, and there was no physical sign of injury.

I kept a careful eye on him from afar, and he continued to graze to the southwest, eating plenty of long grass, leaves from the bushes, and the soft tips of the gorse bushes. The boys stayed close to him, while cow 201 ventured a little further away, crossing the path at one point, only to return after a short while.

I said my goodbyes at 16:15, leaving them all peacefully grazing.

At one point, I took the opportunity to slip away to check that there was still drinking water available in the pond, which there was, with perhaps a little more water in it than there has been recently. Before leaving, I took a walk over 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.

Except for steer 200, the cattle were all good today.

Weds 9th Sept, all four lazing between Brock Hill and Tweseldown race course

Just a fleeting look today as i passed by.

2.15pm, Mon 7 Sept, All 4 together, under the trees along the racecourse near the pond

All looking fine and fewer flies around today than the last time I saw them.  They were sitting but one did get up as I was leaving.

Also came across a pile of empty shells and clips left by the army but didn’t have any means to tidy them up.  Happy to do so next time i visit, prob Weds or Thurs. 

Also passed the pond and fire hydrant area and as noted yesterday, still sufficient water.

Sunday 6th September – All 4 seen – Gentle reminder that the fence needs repairing by the fire hydrant sign

At 16:15 this afternoon, cow 201, along with steers 200 and 208, were grazing along the sides of the main path just beyond the bend after the straight by the racecourse, near ///sleepers.lighter.surreal. They were all very friendly, stopping to say hello and enjoying a few strokes. Like earlier in the week, cow 201's collar was showing as being in the thicket in the centre of the site. Steer 207 was grazing in the pasture to the south of the path about 50 metres further on, near ///inch.cashiers.mats. He spotted me approaching and came over to greet me, with the other three following and joining us soon after.

After our initial greetings, the cattle gathered around me and started to rest and chew their cud. They were all happy to be approached for their checks. Steer 200 enjoyed a neck scratch before positioning himself for a long back scratch, which he thoroughly enjoyed, shifting around to ensure I reached all his itchy spots. Steer 208 had been watching on with great interest, and after a while he wandered over to spend some time with me. It appeared he wanted to try a back scratch too, and I was only too happy to oblige. After initially being a bit unsure, he quickly relaxed and thoroughly enjoyed the attention. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At one point, I slipped away to check that there was still drinking water available in the pond, with the group watching on as I left. They seemed happy when I returned, with steer 200 coming over for another back scratch. The army must have been training in the area at some point, as there were a large number of spent bullets lying on the grass close to where the cattle were gathered. I gathered them up and removed them from the site.

After saying my goodbyes at 17:05, I set off north along the side of Brock's Hill to go and check the water by the fire hydrant sign. Behind me, I heard a chorus of moos and turned around to spot all four following me. I wandered back to say a final goodbye before setting off again. There was still plenty of drinking water available, both in the main pool and in the surrounding run-off areas. The broken strand of barbed wire was lying loose, stretched out on the inside of the fence line. Concerned that one of the cattle may stand on it, I repositioned it on the outside of the fence line. A gentle reminder that the fence still needs to be repaired.

The cattle were all good today.

Saturday

 All found looking fine grazing just off the main path to the west of the hill at 9.30

Tuesday 1st September - One collar not working

I had to visit later than usual today and was concerned to see that, according to the NoFence Collar map, three of the cows were in D4 while one was in E/F5.  The map had shown this for several hours so I was hoping that this was an anomaly and and there wasn't a cow by itself among the silver birches.  As it turned out all four were lying together in the open space to the SE of the hydrant pool.  When they heard me approaching all four stood up attentively.  All of them appeared well but were clearly disappointed that I wasn't Gordon!  They did try to trot after me as I left though.

I checked they all still had their collars attached, which they did, so I'm guessing that one of them stopped working while they were all in the birches at some point.  The following photo shows the locations shown on the map when I left and the serial number of the collar showing the wrong location.

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.