Saturday 8th August - All 4 seen

At 14:35 this afternoon, the boys were just emerging from the thicket onto the edge of the main path near ///referral.weeds.dish, just up from the entrance by the car park. When they spotted me approaching, I was welcomed with a chorus of moos before they took turns coming over to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes. They were all very affectionate, offering gentle head rubs and plenty of licks. Afterwards, the boys were happy to stand beside me, resting and chewing their cud, but it was very warm, and they were being bothered by a huge number of flies. So, around 15:00, I led them over to the woodland west of the main entrance, where it was cooler and the flies were less persistent.

The boys soon gathered around me again, happy to stand close, rest and chew their cud. They would frequently step forward for longer neck and back scratches, tucking their heads into my side as they tried to keep the flies off their faces. When not being fussed over, they would huddle together or stand facing the trees. Occasionally, the boys would wander over to the bushes to the north to snack on some leaves. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At around 15:45, I set off west to check the water trough, with all four cattle following at my heels. I would stop every now and again just to check they were okay, only to receive more head rubs or gentle nudges indicating more strokes were needed. When we got to the trough, the boys immediately gathered around both sides to enjoy long, refreshing drinks. It was wonderful to see them all happily drinking without their collars making a sound. Afterwards, they gathered around again before moving towards the fence line. It was actually really cool in the shade of the trees, and there were considerably fewer flies. After giving the trough a clean as it filled back up, I went to spend some more time with each of them, with the boys happily accepting more strokes and rubs.

I said my goodbyes at 16:30, leaving them all relaxing near the fence line, fairly certain they were going to settle down to rest when I left. Instead, after a short delay, they emerged from the woodland to watch me wander off. They followed for a bit before starting to graze, gradually making their way towards the trees to the northeast.

The cattle were all good today.