Cattle collected

 Ned from the grazing team picked the cattle up around 11.30am today. All in good condition and went in to the trailer pretty happily. Thank you all for your hard work lookering this year. 

Jo 

Cattle 24th September

All four standing up munching half along the field. Not often I see all four standing. All clean, even their hooves. The patch they were in is dryer than a lot of the field. 

126 came to say hello and gave me a thorough sniffing.

Pump ok and electric fence working ok.

Much of the field quite wet. Wellies are needed.

Richard

Cattle 17 September.

All four sitting down together at the far end of the field. All clean and looked content. Pump works ok. 

Not sure about the electric fence. Have sent a text to Jo about that.

Cattle 10 September

All four were near the gate. No. 126 was having a long scratching session on the gate. He sniffed me thoroughly . They all looked clean and healthy.  Richard

Last few weeks

 All the cattle are looking well and have been for the last few weeks. They've made a great difference in Ashley Meadow already, they've eaten a lot and flattened a lot. Quite wet through Ashley Meadow, but still plenty of drier sections for them. Getting a date booked in for their collection with the grazing team, likely to be end of September rather than early October due to wetter conditions than previous summers. Will update when we have a date booked in. 

Cattle Thursday 3rd September

All four sitting near the small bushes near the centre of the field, but quite far apart. 

 As usual munching while sitting. All clean and seem well but a lot of flies on them. Pump and fence ok.

Cattle Thursday 27th

All four sitting together in the middle of the field lazily munching as usual. All of them clean with few flies. Pump and electric fence ok. Field wet underfoot especially  in patches along the western fence.

Cattle Thursday 20th

They were easy to find this morning because were standing up to munch on the grass not far from the gate. All four look clean and content. Not many flies around them may be because it was quite breezy. As I walked back to the gate they eat and walked their way to the pump. The pump and electric fence are ok. Richard

Monday & Wednesday

 Cattle all ok this week, laying down in a patch of sedges in the middle of Ashley Meadow on Monday so took me a little while to find them. 2 laying and 2 standing near the fenced off ditch in the rain Wednesday, all very relaxed and possibly enjoying the cooler weather. 

Bob will be checking the cattle for me on Friday as I have annual leave. 

Cattle 13 August

Checked them at 10 am to avoid the heat and or thunderstorms.All four lying down at the far northern end of the meadow. As before they were eating lying down. Lots of flies around them,  and around me after a short while. All look well. Electric fence and pump are ok. Richard

Eventful cattle week

 On Monday I found one of the cows (Dangermouse!) stuck in the ditch at the North West corner of Ashley Meadow. Luckily Jack from the grazing team could get to Fishlake with various straps, expertise and the willingness to get waist deep in the ditch and ferret around underneath Dangermouse! After quite a lot of pulling, puffing and heaving we got Dangermouse out of the ditch, turned on to the correct side where he immediately stood up and began walking around, seemingly unscathed. 

Bob and I fenced the ditch off on Tuesday, leaving plenty of shade for them still. Saw all the cattle, all looked well and interested in what we were up to. Dangermouse is in good shape and sticking with the others. They were all in good shape on Wednesday too. 

Cattle Thursday 6th August

All four together at far end of the field munching on the trees and reeds there. All looked clean and healthy. The electric fence and the pump are ok. Beautiful.patch of mint, vetch and other flowers near the trees.

 

Wednesday 5th

All cattle in the willows in the north west corner of the field (a favourite spot the other years too). One was covered in mud to halfway up it's side, but seemed fine other than that. All moving well, quite a few flies and big hoverflies on them. 

Monday 3rd

Cattle moved to Ashley Meadow, all went smoothly and seemed happy in new home. Bob C noticed that the spottiest one has a stiff rear left leg, one to keep an eye on. 

Sunday 2nd

Cattle checked by Paul Hennessey, all ok. 

Friday 31st

All cattle in the reeds again, moving well and eating away. 

Cattle 30 July

Three of them were up against the gate and number 126 very close by. I did not check the pump because the cattle were in the way. All ok. Quotes lot  of flies on them, but three of them arranged themselves head to tail. They did not seem too bothered by the flies. I told them they must cooperate with moving next week. Richard.

Monday 27th and Wednesday 29th

Cattle all fine on Monday, at the far end of the compartment and moving well.

Tried to move the cattle in Ashley Meadow on Wednesday 29th, but they weren't keen to move at all and then decided to run around a bit when we did get them moving, so we decided to leave them to settle down and try again next week. All moved very well, and other than us disturbing them seemed very happy.

Cattle 23 July

They were all together under the willow trees by the gate. Three were standing up, one sitting down but later I saw all four standing. One was munching on the willow tree. The water pump is ok.

Elizabeth and I also did a butterfly transect. Lots of flowers especially along the east west path: purple lustrife, hemp agrimony were fully out. SSE were very noisily strimming the vegetation around their transformer compound. Richard

cattle 16th July

The 4 of them  were together in the usual place sitting in the sedges, well hidden, eating without standing up.As Peter said, they are invisible until you are very near them.

Pasture pump is ok. Richard

Monday 13th

All cattle feeding in a loose group about half way down the compartment, eating lots of different stuff, including willow regrowth.

Sunday 12th

Cattle seen by Paul, all near the gate, all well

Friday 10th

All cattle feeding together half way down compartment.

Thursday 9th July

My lucky day. The cattle were by the pasture pump. Three were sitting but number 126 was flat on its side occasionally wagging its tail. I was a bit worried but it raised its head and looked at me when I spoke to it. After a while it sat up.like the others.  They all.look ok and there were very few flies around. Pasture pump is ok. Richard

Monday 6th July

All cattle near the pasture pump laying down, checked the pasture pump which is working fine. Later on saw them all have a drink and moving around well.

Friday 3rd July

All by the gate again, came over to have a look at what I was doing getting the strimmer ready. Still seem happy and relaxed.

Thursday 2nd July

Richard checked cattle, all laying down in the sedges in the middle of the compartment, luckily one of them stood up as Richard got closer so managed to see them. A few were just eating while laying down, not even bothering to get up.

Wednesday 1st July

All cattle laying down near the gate, again looking very relaxed. Saw them walking through the compartment later on, all moving well.

Monday

I checked the cattle today, all laying down near the bramble to the western side of the fen. Very relaxed and content. Ned arrived to spray them with fly repellant so they got up and moved around, all moving well and happy. Number 83, Coulson had some thinner hair on his back and it looked a bit pink, Ned said this is fine and just some winter coat shedding.

Sunday

Paul saw all the cattle, moving well and near the gate.

Saturday

Roger saw the cattle from a distance, but they were all moving well.

Hiding spot

Check the cattle this morning, all very relaxed, laying down in a patch of sedges so not visible from a distance. This is the second time I have seen them here, so if they aren't readily visible, try looking here 51.00327,-1.49564 (this should open a map showing where to try looking). Helpfully the cattle have trampled a path from the gate around the western edge of the compartment to very close to this area, so even though it is a fair way in to the compartment, it isn't too difficult a walk.

Under the willows

All 4 cattle stood together in the shade of the willow trees to the right of the gate. All looked well and relaxed.

Monday

All checked, all fine and well. Only one standing when first arrived, other 3 lying down, all close together, all didn't pay much attention to me being there. Saw them later on from the permissive path walking up the fence line and having a drink. All moving and eating well. Jo

Sunday

Checked by Paul, could see 2 from the gate and looked fine, didn't go in to the compartment.

Saturday 20th

All checked and all ok, a little tricky to find in the tall vegetation, were towards the far end of the compartment. Info from Roger

Checked today

All cows seen and well, sheltering under the willow trees to the right as your back is to the gate. Reported by Richard Pratt at shortly after 1pm 18th June.

17th June Cattle on site!!!

Hello again.

4 cattle added to Western Fen today. Hopefully they will behave and do a good job.
#83 - Coulson
#84 - Chunk
#116 - Dangermouse
#126 - Deadnettle

I will add these to the side bar when I am trusted to be admin for this blog.

Thanks all

Grazing Team