Saturday 19th September - All 4 seen

At 14:25 this afternoon, youngsters 278 and 282 were grazing near ///visit.chains.cushy, in the pasture northeast of the water trough. They were both very friendly, taking turns to come over to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and scratches. About ten minutes later, youngsters 276 and 283, who had been grazing further north, spotted me and quickly came over to greet me, accompanied by a chorus of moos. They, too, were very friendly and quickly settled in for plenty of fuss. There were lots of flies around today, so the boys were happy to have them gently brushed from their faces. I also noticed that all four had a large number of ticks on the lower part of their necks and on their undersides.

After our initial greetings, the boys soon formed a loose circle around me and began to relax and chew their cud. They would take turns stepping forward for longer sessions of neck and back rubs, thoroughly enjoying the attention. Youngster 276 was especially affectionate, resting his head on my shoulder while enjoying a long neck scratch, something he hadn't done for quite some time. After a while, the boys drifted off to graze, groom each other, or play-fight, with one of them always staying to keep me company and enjoy plenty of fuss. At one point, youngsters 278 and 283 lined themselves up side by side to both enjoy back scratches at the same time. The boys were an absolute joy to spend some quiet, relaxing time with today. All four were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

At 15:50, I set off to check the water trough, with the boys following closely behind. They all watched as I gave it a good clean, removing the layer of pine needles and leaves that had fallen from the trees overhead. When I was done, youngster 278 stepped forward for a long drink, while the others began to relax and chew their cud around a tree just beyond the trough. They all enjoyed plenty more strokes and rubs before I said my goodbyes at 16:20, leaving them all resting.

As I reached the woodland west of the tarmac road, I heard rustling behind me. I turned to see youngster 276 loping through the bracken after me — clearly not ready for me to leave just yet, with the others following more casually behind. After another couple of rounds of strokes, I slipped away, leaving them near the tarmac road at 16:40.

The cattle were all good today.