Tuesday 30th June - Staff Check and Collar Changes

All boys seen today 

Got them into the crush and changed collar batteries 

276 and 283 have had their horns trimmed. 

All looking really well. 

Monday 29th Boys in K5 10.45

 Boys deep in the bushes again. I could see 3 two black and white and Jet. Could hear the other one in the bushes.

We could not get through as one of the cows was sat on the passable bit! They looked happy in the cool shade

I am in Newcastle on Fri 3 & Sun 5 July & so will Be Unable to Check on the Cattle those Days

 I shall be back to do my regular days on Fri 10 and Sun 12.

Sunday 28 June 26. (09.00 - 09.20) All Four Cattle Seen near to the Trough in C10. All Well

 Jeans was grazing in the meadow, just outside the treeline in C10.   The other three were in the shade, not far from the trough.  All three were lying down, when I arrived, but then J'Adore, (276) stood up, but didn't go anywhere.  He and Jura were happy for neck scratches to alieviate the flies for a while.  Jeans and Jet, as usual were not bothered for any attention.

The trough was full of cool clear water.

It was nice to see them all after Friday's no-find !

 

Saturday 27th June - All 4 seen

Shortly before 14:00 this afternoon, the cattle were resting among the thicket about 85 metres south of the northernmost path, near ///best.surging.brilliant. Youngster 276 must have heard me approaching, as he appeared from the bushes to greet me and enjoy a neck scratch. I could hear the others moving around in the thicket behind him, and they soon emerged one by one to say hello and enjoy some strokes. There were many flies around, and the boys appreciated having them gently brushed away from their eyes. They were all very friendly, returning the affection with gentle head rubs or the occasional lick.

After a short while, we moved to a clearing slightly further north, where the boys gathered around me to relax and chew their cud. They took turns leaning in for long neck and back scratches. Youngster 276 was very keen to make sure he didn’t miss out, nudging his herd mates when he felt it was his turn! They clearly enjoyed the attention, particularly the back scratches. After a good while, youngsters 276 and 278 wandered out into the pasture to the west to graze on the long grass and heather, but perhaps found it a little too warm, as they soon returned. Youngsters 282 and 283 stayed with me, enjoying the extra fuss.

I said my goodbyes at 15:10, leaving them relaxing and chewing their cud. It was lovely to spend some quiet time with them today, and they appeared to enjoy the company. As I was navigating my way out through the trees and bushes, they moved back into the thicket, heading southwest towards their favourite duck pond.

The boys were all happy and relaxed, showing no obvious effects from the extreme heat over the past few days. They were all seen walking, grazing, and resting normally without any visible issues. I did feel they had lost a little condition, possibly because the hot weather has reduced the amount of time they have spent grazing in recent days. With temperatures expected to drop tomorrow, hopefully they will spend more time out grazing and begin to regain some of that condition.

Before leaving, I gave the water trough a good clean and left it topped up with water in case the boys decided to stop by for a drink later on.

The cows were all good today.

Fri 26 June 26 (12.00 - 13.00) I failed to Find/See ANY of the Cattle.

I parked my car in front of the Hawley Hard entrance gate.  As I crossed the cattle grid in J7, the NoFence app was showing the boys as being located in the trees in J5.  I made my way there via I6.   However, after entering J5 and checking the open and tree covered area, I was unable to fing any of the cattle.

I checked the NoFence again and notice that it had not updated, since I'd looked at it near the cattle grid and that was approximately 15 minutes earlier.  I continued to search the area and covered most if not all of K5 as well as large areas of K4, L5 and K6, but still no sign of the cattle.  I could not get the app to update at all, even after switching my phone off twice.

Apologies, I failed 😞😞😞 Although perhaps the App does not like to heat either.

Thursday 25th June - Not seen

8:00am This morning. The cows were in an inaccessible area. They were in the corner of i2 which looked very dense. I couldn’t see them from the path and I couldn’t see a way in through the bush & trees to get to them so I’m afraid I haven’t physically seen them.

 

Tuesday 23rd boys seen in E6

 All seen this morning 11.45 in the shade of the trees behind the ammo dump. 

I cheated and drove as its still too hot in the evening yo walk Ziggy that far 

Lots of flies but they looked ok . J’Adore had a stroke. He had a big long wee so seem to be getting enough fluids.

I looked at trough from the road at the bottom..could not climb over the fence which was the plan. It looked ok from a distance 

Sunday 21st all seen in the shade in E4 11.30

 All seen

Saturday 20th June - All 4 seen

At 14:45 this afternoon, the boys were gathered among the trees northeast of the duck pond near ///deny.gravy.blogs. Luckily, I still had my wellies in the car, so I was able to cross the swampy ground to check on them. They must have heard me approaching, as they soon wandered out to the edge of the trees to greet me. They were all very friendly, taking turns to say hello and enjoy the first of many strokes and rubs. Although it was a little cloudy and cooler today, they were still being bothered by large numbers of flies and other insects. Despite this, they all seemed comfortable, relaxed, and in good spirits.

After our initial greetings, the boys gathered around me and settled down to relax and chew their cud. They would regularly step forward for more attention, each enjoying long neck and back scratches. They also appreciated gentle face strokes and ear rubs, which helped keep the flies away from their eyes. The large horseflies landing on their backs were particularly unwelcome, and they regularly swished their tails to get rid of them.

By 15:40, youngsters 276 and 278 had wandered out into the duck pond to graze, while the other two stayed with me, happy to continue enjoying the attention. They were very affectionate, both offering gentle head rubs in return. Around 16:15, we wandered out to join the other two, who were still grazing, but they soon made their way over to say hello again. I said my goodbyes shortly before 16:30, leaving them all peacefully grazing in the sunshine.

I had only just made it back to the main path when I looked around and found that the boys were following me. They soon gathered around me again, eager for more attention while resting in the sunshine. I said my final goodbyes and slipped away shortly before 17:00, leaving them all resting contentedly beside the gate.

The cows were all good today.

Friday 19 June 2025 (08.20 - 08.30). All Four Boys Seen in E9. All Well.

 Probably the easiest time ever catching up with the boys.  Crossed the cattle grid at end of tarmac road south from the ammo dump, (just five minutes after leaving home on my bike) and I could already see them on the shade on my left had side.

They were all stood close together in the shade looking out over the open meadow towards the trees containing the trough.

All were happy to have a stroke and a face scratch to clear the flies, if only for a few seconds.

 

Thursday 18th June - Pony Update - no ponies on site

At 18:50 this evening, the ponies were grazing on the grass growing around the bracken in the pasture northeast of the paddock. They spotted me approaching and wandered over to meet me near ///panicking.stay.upward, greeting me with soft nickers as they came closer. The girls were especially affectionate, happily leaning in for long neck rubs and offering gentle nuzzles and a few licks in return. The foal soon became impatient waiting for her turn and wandered over, nudging me softly to make sure I knew she was ready for some attention. She thoroughly enjoyed her neck and back scratches, melting into them and responding with the sweetest cuddles in return.

The older ponies continued to graze, but would regularly wander over to spend some time with me, enjoying relaxing back rubs as they rested. The little one, though, never stayed away for long and kept circling back for more fuss. It was lovely to spend a bit of extra time with them this evening.

At around 19:40, Nicky arrived to take the girls back to the New Forest for their holidays. I walked them over to the corral and after saying some goodbyes, we loaded the ponies onto the trailer. Despite this being the little one’s first road trip, she went up the ramp without too many issues, keen to stay close to her mum. Sadly, this means there are currently no ponies on the Hawley Lakes reserve. They will certainly be missed, but hopefully, we will have ponies back again in the next few weeks.

After Nicky left, I went to spend some time with the cattle at 20:40. They were grazing in the thicket just to the east of the tarmac road near ///golden.trains.wing. The boys took turns coming over to say hello, enjoying plenty of neck and back scratches. They soon gathered around me, relaxing and chewing their cud, while regularly leaning in for a few extra strokes and rubs. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well. I said my goodbyes at 21:15, leaving them peacefully grazing.

The cows were all good today.