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.