Well, actually a cow hunt, and we've been. It was significantly less dangerous than a bear hunt. It has it's own hazards, of course, but no more rambling (pun intended).
Our destination is Mill Meadows, Billericay (just up the road for us). They have recently introduced Aberdeen Angus cattle. Here are some of the pictures I took as we wandered around. The pictures are in reverse order, so the cows are at the bottom of this post, because we found them very quickly.
The birdsong was amazing, we used 'Merlin' to identify the birds: Wren, Blackbird, Robin, Blackcap, Song Thrush, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Greenfinch, Chiffchaff
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| The hedge bordering the Southend Road, I think it's mainly Blackthorn, always lovely in early spring. |
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| A dandelion, supporting insect wildlife, and bringing so bright colours to the meadow. |
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| Broom, another plant contributing to the colours in the Meadow. |
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| The Oak Tree is dominant on the left, but has competed with something else on the right. |
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| Picnickers on the other side of the valley, we can hear voices, but not words |
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| Aberdeen Angus, mother cow |
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| Aberdeen Angus youngsters (no horns) |
The cows are looked after by 'cow checkers', who visit regularly to ensure they are healthy. this was true when the Red Poll were in Mill Meadows too. We met one, he was collecting rubbish in a bag. As he approached the cows they assumed the bag contained food and gathered round. Was that a cunning plan, or just good fortune? There are new water troughs, only the ones where the cows are have water in them, the water doesn't look very pleasant to the human eye, but for cows I expect it is fine.
