Updates from our Cuckoos

Not only has 115600 finally received a name, chosen from suggestions by Cuckoo Sponsors, he has also continued moving south. From France, the newly christened Mungo moved 230km (143 miles) SSE to the southern most tip of Switzerland between 21 and 23 June. He was still at that position, which is close to the village of Bourg Saint Pierre in an alpine pass approximately 20km (12 miles) east of the summit of Mont Blanc, on the morning of 25 June. Mungo has been named after Mungo Park, the Scottish explorer of the African continent.

Locations received on 22 June proved to be accurate as they showed Chance heading across the North Sea towards Germany. He transmitted later that day from just inside Germany, between Itzehoe and Elmshorn, close to the river river Elbe 44km (27miles) of Hamburg, Germany. Since then he has travelled a further 300km (189 miles) across Germany on a south-easterly trajectory and by lunchtime on the 24 June was settled in a wooded area near Gottsdorf in eastern Germany, 35km (21 miles) SSW of Berlin.

Reacher was still in Norfolk, close to his tagging location on 20 June. However, a series of locations received this morning (22 June) show he has moved to western Germany, a few km's east of Luxembourg! This is a movement of 500km (310 miles) SE in the last two days. He is the second Cuckoo to transmit from Germany.

On the 19 June Chance the Cuckoo was still at Flanders Moss NNR but on the morning of 22 June we received locations indicating that he was probably heading across the North Sea towards Germany – watch this space for more information!

One of six cuckoos to leave the UK in the last few days, Mungo has travelled the furthest from his tagging location. Tagged on the shores of Loch Katrine, Stirling, Mungo has travelled 1,163km (720 miles) and is now just north of Polaincourt-et-Clairefontaine in eastern central France. The race to Africa is on.

On 20 June, Reacher, one of two new East Anglian cuckoos tagged in 2012, was 500 metres north east of the village of Crowgate Street, Norfolk. He is currently 20km (14 miles) from his tagging location.

A poor location received for Cuckoo 115589 at 12.40 showed him to be in the area south of Lowestoft, Suffolk, approximately 10km (6miles) from his original tagging location.

Since arriving back in the UK, Lyster has been faithful to the Norfolk Broads area. A location received yesterday showed this still to be the case. He was on the outskirts of Hales, Norfolk. He is currently 20km (14miles) from his 2011 tagging location. He was the last bird to leave the UK in 2011. Will that also be the case this year? Only time will tell.

Since leaving the UK on 11 June, Chris has been on a mini European tour, taking in eastern Belgium, including a short break in the Ardennes Mountains in southern Belgium, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. He is now back in northern Belgium on the edge of Antwerp Docks, 31km (20miles) from where he first settled ten days ago, having completed a round trip of 700km (435miles). This is the same area where Kasper first stopped after leaving the UK in 2011.

On 12 June Wallace was still close to his tagging location. By 14 June, however, he had moved 154km (95 miles) due S to a location east of Stranraer. He didn’t stay there though and by that evening he had moved north again, to a location between Troon and Irvine, 80km (50 miles) to the north. He was still there when we last heard from his tag in the evening of 18 June.