Sunday 26th July - All 4 seen

Shortly after 15:30 this afternoon, the cattle were gathered in the woodland in the northeast corner of the site, near ///wakes.timer.yours, about five metres south of Aldershot Road. They all watched with interest as I approached, relaxing and chewing their cud. Steers 200 and 208 were quick to wander over to greet me, with steer 200 enjoying plenty of head and neck strokes. Steer 207 soon came over to join us, while cow 201 initially hung back before happily letting me approach for her check. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

After our initial greetings, the cattle formed a loose circle around me, continuing to rest and chew their cud. Despite the deep shade and a fairly gusty wind, they were still being bothered by large numbers of flies. They were happy to stand close, with me providing some protection from the flies. Steer 200 especially enjoyed a long back scratch.

At 15:55, they began to wander through the woodland and into the thicket to the south, where they started to graze. They enjoyed plenty of long grass and leaves from the many trees and bushes. They didn't remain there for long before making their way into the woodland to the west and continuing south towards ///grumbling.jets.march, close to Gelvert Bottom. Here, all four feasted on the fresh, lush grass, gradually moving west. Unfortunately, the Gelvert Stream was completely dry, meaning there was no drinking water available, although it did make crossing much easier. Before crossing the stream, cow 201 wandered along another trench, thoroughly enjoying the abundance of fresh grass growing along its banks. I said my goodbyes shortly after 16:20, leaving them all peacefully grazing in the sunshine.

Before making my way to the far side of the site, I checked the water levels in the pond at ///highs.modest.selection, where there was still drinking water available. After saying cheerio to the cattle, I made my way to the northwest corner of the site to check the water levels by the Fire Hydrant sign near ///community.folds.large. There was still plenty of pooled water, which was trickling into the surrounding area.

The cattle were all doing well today.