We’ve been satellite-tracking Cuckoos since 2011. We’ve learned lots of vital information, such as how the different migration routes are linked to declines, and some of the pressures Cuckoos face whilst on migration, but there is still much more to discover.
An important aspect of this project is how it helps us improve our understanding of why Cuckoo are in decline:
Our Cuckoo Tracking Project is vital and it wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support from funders and sponsors.
Sponsor a CuckooWe now need to look more closely at how dependent Cuckoos are on, and how much their migration is linked to, the drought-busting rains of the weather frontal system known as the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) as they move out of the Congo rainforest and begin to head back to the UK via West Africa.
Each Cuckoo’s tag sends us location data approximately every day, so we can follow them and learn more about their migration.
When we last checked in, just before the weekend, Hafren was close to Mijek in Western Sahara. Since then he has cut up through Morocco, passing close to the cities of Marrakesh and Fes, before arriving on the north Moroccan coast close to Temsaman commune in the Driouch Province, on Saturday.
His most recent signal shows that he has now set off across the Mediterranean. If he crosses without incident, he should make landfall somewhere between Malaga and Almeria.
Hot on Wilfrid’s heels, Hafren has now set off across the Sahara.
Leaving his temporary stopping-off point in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, he skirted along the eastern border of Guinea, cut across south-eastern Mali, and motored through Mauritania before arriving in Western Sahara, covering around 2,200 km (1,370 miles).
From here, he should head up along the Moroccan coast, after which he will cross into Spain.
We hadn’t received any signals from Wilfrid since March 20, when he was still in south-east Guinea. Any concerns that we may have had for his wellbeing and whereabouts were joyously dashed yesterday when it became clear that he’d made significant progress since his last check-in.
At some point in the last 11 days he headed north in earnest, clearing the Sahara and arriving in the Extremadura region in central Spain! Currently just north of Guadalupe, he has covered at least 3,500 km (2,174 miles) since leaving Guinea and in excess of 7,000 km (4,350 miles) since departing his wintering grounds in Angola.
Of all our tagged Cuckoos, Wilfrid was the one who wintered the furthest south this year and he is now by far the most northerly of our birds!
You can help keep this important project going by either giving a donation, becoming a Cuckoo sponsor, or gifting a sponsorship to someone else. We greatly appreciate the support the project has received, allowing us to continue to monitor this endangered species.
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