Thursday 26th June - All Cows Off

Hi All, 

After a successful TB test, the three boys are heading to near Southampton or their summer. 

Thanks so much for keeping an eye on them.

Best wishes 

Grazing Team

Tuesday 24th June

 Was surprised to see 3 cows in the eastern meadow near the SW corner. I thought they were coming off last week  - anyway all good apart from they were munching the flowers there! Gates and water troughs fine

A delightful morning of skylarks, meadow brown and marbled white butterflies and bedstraw flowers!

Friday the 20th

 Three cows in the east field. 

A couple with a picnic blanket in the shade in the west field. I went in and asked how they got in, they said they’d hopped the fence. I told them they weren’t supposed to be in there. They said they didn’t realise. I asked if the barbed wire they jumped over gave them any indication, and explained it’s a nature reserve and there are nesting ground birds. They said it was just such a lovely day, but that they were happy to leave.

Offered to let them by the gate so they didn’t need to jump over the fence again, and walked them up to the Courteney Road gate. A bird flew up out of the long grass as we approached, so I steered us a bit of a long way round in shorter grass to minimise disruption. 

If they had refused or been aggressive or anything I would have just walked away, I wouldn’t have gotten into anything, and husband was watching with dogs beyond the fence so overall felt pretty secure. They were just some folk trying to have a picnic in a pretty field. Photo attached is the patch of  squashed grass they were on.

Tuesday 17th June

 Three cows on eastern neadow near water trough. Calmly grazing though have got dirty bottoms but they seem okay.  Trod down some of vegetation  round the trough - sorry didn't have gloves for the nettles

Beautiful morning- lots of butterflies on the wing especially meadow brown and marbled whites. Good numbers of pyramid orchids near top eastern kissing gate.

Path alongside railway embankment on western edge getting overgrown in places. 

o

Friday 13th

 Three cows at the far side of the eastern field. Started to rain so I left pretty quickly. 

Tuesday 10th June

 Three cows calmly chewing cud still in Eastern Meadow. One animal nearer the top of the field while the remaining two together mid way but seems okay. Gates and water okay.

First sighting for me of pyramid orchids along hedgerow on northern boundary and a marbled white butterfly. Bees busy on the birds foot trefoil and knapweed flowers.

Anne and Tim

Tuesday 3rd June

 A damp and windy morning not many people about apart from a brave dog walker and a jogger.

Three cows still in the dip of the eastern meadow though gateway open. Two grazing and one calmly lying down chewing cud. All perimeter gates and water trough okay. Very little litter.

Anne and Tim