It looks likely that BB, Peter, Skinner, Waller and Whortle have failed to complete their migration this year, or their tags are no longer transmitting, and so we will be moving all of them to the inactive section of the website.

From time to time we ‘lose’ one or two of our Cuckoos only for them to reappear several days, or even weeks, later. We are never entirely sure why this might be at the individual level but during the course of the project we have noticed similarities between some of the ‘lost’ birds.

We have lost some of our birds just prior to them making a large movement and we think that this might be because they move into denser vegetation in order to feed up before embarking on a long flight. Moving into denser vegetation may mean that the solar panel that recharges the battery for the tag is in shade for periods of time and the battery receives a poorer charge, which in turn results in poorer performance from the satellite tag.

Once the birds have put on enough weight to begin their journey they move into the open and the tag begins charging again and the birds ‘reappear’. We also see the same thing happen, although to a lesser extent, when birds complete a long movement and presumably move into denser vegetation to rest and feed up

Several of our Cuckoo tags have not sent transmissions for over 10 days; BB, Hennah, Peter, Skinner and Waller. 

This means they are not currently shown on the main map by default, although can be switched on using the tick boxes under their photos. It's not uncommon for Cuckoos to disappear for up to several months during mid-winter as tag charging conditions in the forest are poor so we won't really know their fate unless we receive further transmissions. If they fail to move northwards when expected then either the Cuckoo may have died or the tag may failed or degraded. Our greatest concerns are still for Peter and Waller who were in the same area when signals were last received, all the way back in October.

We are concerned about whether we will receive further transmissions from Peter and Waller. They were in the same area and just 5km apart from each other, close to the Congo river in Democratic Republic of Congo, when signals were last received. Looking at the map, they seem to be in an area of unbroken canopy so the solar-powered tags may not be able to charge as they are not receiving light. The worry when batteries cannot charge over several months is that they may start to degrade and are not then able to switch on again when they do receive light. We will have to wait and see whether we receive further signals from the tags in future. 

Since the 28 September Waller has been moving south, reaching Central African Republic by 29 September and continuing on to the Democratic Republic of Congo by the 1 October. He has travelled 1170km (725 miles) since 28  September and has now joined other Cuckoos in the Congo rainforest.

With most cuckoos now in the Sahel region, we're entering a fairly quiet period in the annual cycle of the tagged cuckoos with less movement than during the migration season.

Birds who completed their desert crossing will spend time in the Sahel recovering their body condition, and some may stay quite a long time. In previous years, cuckoos have stayed in this area for as much as several months, while others spend a shorter amount of time before moving south into the humid zone forests.

The eastern Sahel in Chad and south Sudan has received plenty of rain recently, and thus conditions are likely good for cuckoos. Northern Cameroon was slightly drier than average in August, and so cuckoos such as Derek, Dudley, Stanley, and Emsworthy may be moving on if foraging conditions aren't suitable.

By the 2 August, Waller had moved south into Tuscany and it was from here that he decided to cross to Africa, transmitting from Libya around midday on 6 August! He is the second Scottish Cuckoo to make it to Africa this summer. The last signal received showed he had made some progress south within Libya but still had a way to go to complete his crossing of the desert. 

This year, because there are so many Cuckoos and routes to view on the map, individual birds only show by default if there has been a signal in the last 10 days.

Currently Gowk, Gilbert, Meavy, Waller and BB have all stopped being shown by default as we haven't heard from them in this period. Don't worry, it doesn't necessarily mean anything bad has happened. There are often periods where the Cuckoos are in dense undergrowth, where the tags don't receive enough light to charge or send signals to the satellites, often just before and after big movements.

You can still view these Cuckoos on the map by ticking the box underneath their pictures. Once we receive a signal, they will automatically reappear on the main map. 

We are still following twenty-two birds. Currently two cuckoos are in France – Walpole and unnamed cuckoo 134957.

Five birds are in and around the Po Valley in northern Italy – BB, Chris, Stanley, Waller and Livingstone.

Six birds are in Spain – Two of these are big movers this week. After finally leaving the UK, Derek hasn’t hung around. After a brief stop in central-western France, he is now in central-northern Spain, just south of Tolbanos de Abajo. It is Maji that has provided the biggest surprise though. He seems to be taking a tour of the European mountain ranges. Having spent a time in the Austrian Alps, he is now in the central Pyrenees!

David is still in Montenegro and Ash is still in Croatia; both of these birds could make the move to Africa any day now.

We now have seven birds in Africa, six of them south of the Sahara. Emsworthy is the latest to arrive here and he is currently just south of Lake Chad, in an area that Chris also favours. Three other Cuckoos – Peter, Hennah and Dudley – are also close to Lake Chad.

BB has left Germany and flown over Austria to reach Italy and is close to Venice.  He joins East Anglian Cuckoos Stanley and Chris, and fellow Scottish Cuckos Livingstone and Waller, all of whom are in different areas of northern Italy.

From France, via Corsica, Ash appears to now be in Italy. He joins Hennah, who had also been in France and perched in the Pyrenees close to the France/Spain border but who also recently changed direction and headed to Italy to take this more easterly route. Whortle, Peter, Waller, and Livingstone are all also currently in Italy. 

Waller and Chester have remained in the same areas of France in which they first transmitted, close to Reims and Le Mans respectively, as has 134955 who is a little further south. Ash, meanwhile seems to be heading south despite being the latest of the four to arrive.  

With three un-named birds left we are letting you choose what to name one of our Sherwood Cuckoos!  Anyone who sponsors a Cuckoo before the end of June will be entered in to a draw. We’ll then pick one entry at random and will contact the winner who can then suggest a suitable name*. Find out how you could name a Cuckoo. 

Ash and Waller have left the UK and traveled to Europe, joining 10 other birds, and on 22 June were in northern France. 

By the very early hours of 4 May Waller was back in Scotland, just inside the border near Duns, Berwickshire. He had cut across the UK from the Channel Islands to the south-west, right across to the eastern Scottish coast and travelled 650km (400 miles). From here he followed the coast to a location near Edinburgh, before heading west to Oban by the afternoon of 5 May.

By 6 May he was in the area of Fort William and flying over the area near Ben Nevis, the highest mountain in the British Isles. He is close to Loch Eli and has yet to return to his tagging grounds, which are about 70km (50 miles) further north. 

Waller is almost back. Having left his last location in Spain, he flew over the Cantabrian Mountains and across the Bay of Biscay and by 29 April he was in Berson, just north of the port city of Bordeaux on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France. The latest signals shows him a further 550km (340 miles) further north and, after a brief rest on the Channel Islands yesterday evening, he continued on his way again and the last transmission was over  the sea.  The next signals should reveal that he has made it to land and will be on, or closer to, his tagging ground on the Isle of Skye. 

48 hours after the last signal, Waller had made it to Europe and was in north-western Spain, just west of the city of Valladolid, having travelled 680km (420 miles). He continued for another 90km (60 miles) and is now north-west of Leon and almost as far north as Skinner, who is about 85km (55 miles) to the north-east. Chris is also not far behind! Who will be first back to the UK?  

Waller has certainly had a  busy weekend!  By midday on Friday 11 April he had moved 590km (365 miles) to southern Mali , just south of the desert.  The next signal received was late on the 13 April which showed him in 2265km (1410 miles) further north, just inside the border of Morocco, having successfully crossed the desert! He continued moving onwards through the late evening and early morning of the 14 April, overflying the High Atlas mountains and covering another 450km (280 miles). By 3am he was just east of the northern city of Tangier (this point is not yet shown on the map). He is the second of our Cuckoos to have crossed the desert, but Chris was a close third! 

Waller had been in the west of Ivory Coast but has backtracked about 330km (200 miles) in to centre of the country and is now in the protected area of the Parc National d'Abokouamekro, to the west of Lake Kossou, the largest lake in Ivory Coast. Presumably feeding conditions weren't good in his westerly location and so he has moved on to find somewhere more suitable. 

Waller has continued a further 515km (320 miles) west and is now in the west of Ivory Coast, close to the borders with Guinea and Liberia. 

Over the course of the 1 March, Waller headed further west from his position just north of Lake Volta, travelling 465km (290 miles) and flying across the middle of Ghana. He arrived in Ivory Coast in the late afternoon and was 90km (55 miles) inside its border with Ghana.  At the moment he is 1300km (810 miles) further west than any of the other Cuckoos. Ken moved over the weekend and is officially in West Africa now. 

Waller has become the first of our tagged Cuckoos to move to West Africa!  The last signal placing him in Cameroon was received on 20 February and by the 27 February he had travelled a huge 1445km (900 miles), flying over Nigeria, Benin and Togo to reach Ghana. The latest signals reveal he is in eastern Ghana, 85km (52 miles) north of the northern edge of Lake Volta. 

This is the first return migration that we have followed for Scottish Cuckoo Waller but it's interesting to note that last year the first Cuckoo to move west was Chance, another of our Scottish Cuckoos. He also spent a few weeks in Cameroon before moving to Lake Volta in Ghana around the 25 February - very similar timing to Waller!  This timing does raise fresh concern that something has happened to either Chance, or his tag, as we have not received signals since 4 December and, given his timings last year, he should be on the move. 

Waller is still in the location in Cameroon , where he has been since early February. We last heard from him around lunch-time on 20 February. He is currently still one of the most northerly Cuckoos, along with David and Chris, who has recently moved north. 

We've received transmissions from Waller's tag which reveal that he is now in Cameroon, 390km (245 miles) further northwest than his last known location in Congo. He is moving closer to the edge of the block of the Congo Rainforest but still has a little way to go before he gets there. Only David is further north than Waller now. 

Since his stop in the Likuoala Aux Herbes area, he has continued another 88km (55 miles) north-west, and as of 12 January was just 9km (6 miles) from Norfolk Cuckoo, Derek.

Poor quality signals received from Waller's tag show that he remained in the area near the lake until at least the 21 December but by the evening of the 27 December he had travelled 240km (150 miles) north-west, leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is now in Congo, just south of the edge of the Likouala Aux Herbes National Park, in which Chris has previously wintered in. Signals in the early morning of 30 December show that Waller he is still in the area.

Whortle and Patch have also both moved small distances from the lake, although in different directions.    

David, Patch, Waller and Whortle are all still in the Democratic Republic of Congo and all the tags have transmitted within the last few weeks. Patch and Waller are still close to the shores of Lake Mai while Whortle is a little further north,  

David, our one remaining Welsh tagged Cuckoo, has gone the longest without transmitting, with the last signal received just over a week ago on 16 December. This year David is a little ahead of schedule, having spent Christmas further north in the swamp forests in 2012 and moving a few days after to the area he is now in, just north of the Salonga National Park and close to a tributary of the Congo River. 

Waller moved from his location in the swamp forests on 30 November and signals on 2 December reveal that he is now to the west of the shores of Lake Mai and just 25km (15 miles) from fellow Scottish Cuckoo, Patch.  

Of the Cuckoos tagged in Scotland this year, Livingstone is still on the edge of the Téké Plateau, whilst Patch is in an area of closed canopy forest with seasonally flooded grassland west of Lac Mai in DRC. Waller is in the swamp forests about 120km (75 miles) ESE of Chris and Derek. All three of these birds could be in their final mid-winter locations, although we might well see Waller at least move further south towards the gallery forest / savannah mosaics.

Waller has now spent a month in this area. He arrived here at around the same time as Chris, who is slightly further west and who has over-wintered there for the last two years, and has shown no signs of moving on since. Time will tell whether this is his final wintering destination or not. This year, Derek has also joined Chris and is even closer to his location than Waller. This is the first year that we have seen other Cuckoos in addition to Chris using this area.

Having covered 1,207km (750 miles) from his stopover in Chad, Waller is currently the most southerly of our tagged Cuckoos. He is now in the Democratic Republic of Congo, 117km (73 miles) south-east of Chris. It will be interesting to see what he does next. Will he stay in this area like Chris has done for the last two winters, or in common with the other Cuckoos tagged in England and Scotland, will he head to the Teke Plateau, 300km (187 miles) to the south-west or perhaps head further east, like the two cuckoos tagged in Wales did last year? 

Waller has moved 135km (84 miles) south within Chad. This move takes him closer to Chris’s location and only about 100km (60 miles) now separates the two of them. He is also just 85km (52 miles) north-west of Zakouma National Park, Chads first National Park, created in 1963, which includes many large mammals including Elephants and Lions.   

Waller, Chris, Sussex and BB are all still in Chad and sending regular transmissions. Last year Chris was the first of our tagged Cuckoos to move south of Chad, arriving in the Central African Republic by the 18 September. Not long after this the Cuckoos moved on to the Congo Rainforest. 

Signals received late on 2 August confirmed that Waller had headed south and was about to attempt his desert crossing. A series of poor quality locations tracked him over Libya in the early hours of 3 August  and by the same time on 5 August  he had flown 1,720km (1070 miles) to the Hadjer-Lamis region of Chad,  30km (18 miles) south-east of Bokoro. He is roughly 65km (105 miles) from Sussex’s last transmitted location. 

Despite being the 13th Cuckoo to leave the UK, he has transmitted from Africa one day after Sussex, the first Cuckoo to leave the UK. 

Signals received on the afternoon of 31 July show that Waller was still in Italy but had moved into Tuscany, to a location 30km (18 miles) south-west of Siena. Having left his position in northern Italy sometime after the morning of 29 July he has travelled 345km (215 miles) in a southerly direction. Further poor quality signals received after this, throughout the evening of 31 July, indicate he then continued south along the coast and was as far as Rome when the tag transmission period ended. 

By the afternoon of 22 July, Waller had left France, crossed over Switzerland and made it in to Italy. His location was just west of Lake Como. This journey covered 460km (285 miles). He is about 85km (52 miles) north of Livingstone, another of the Scottish Cuckoos.  

On the evening of 6 July Waller’s tag transmissions revealed he was in Belgium! Poor quality signals received late on 4 July, just south of Port Augustus, may indicate the very start of this journey. Two days later he had flown roughly 1060km (660 miles) from his location on the Isle of Skye and was on the northern edge of the Ardennes mountain region, Belgium. Signals just a few hours later show he continued onwards, changing direction and heading in a south-westerly direction towards France over the Ardennes mountains. On the morning of 7 July and roughly 160km (100 miles) further south-west, he was close to Revigny-sur-Ornain, a commune in Lorraine in north-eastern France. 

These two Scottish birds are still in the area close to where they were tagged and have not yet followed Livingstone south. The Cuckoos from Devon, Wales and Sussex have all left. Who will be the last to leave, Cuckoos from the Norfolk Broads or those from Scotland? 

Waller was trapped late morning on 21 May at the Kinloch Hills on the Isle of Skye, close to the road linking the Skye ferry at Kylerhea to the Kyle of Lochalsh - Broadford road. He was caught at the same time as another bird that may have been a female and hence wasn’t tagged. Since then, he as remained mostly very close to the tagging location.