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Updates from our Cuckoos

Read the latest updates from our Cuckoos on their epic migration between the UK and tropical Africa, or track their movements in real-time on our Cuckoo migration map.

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The end of the road for Cuckoo JAC

09 Jun 2023

We are very sad to report that we have heard the last from Cuckoo JAC.

JAC, named in loving memory of Professor Jenny Clack, was tagged at World’s End near Llangollen on 1 June 2021. Since then we have had the privilege of tracking him over two full migration cycles from Wales to Africa and back.

His route south across the Sahara took him via Algeria and Mali to the Sahelian areas of Burkina Faso or Niger. He then spent some time in northern Nigeria before heading on to the Congo. On his return migration north, he visited West Africa where he stopped in Ivory Coast in 2022 and Guinea in 2023, arriving back in Llangollen around the end of April each year. 

The diagnostic data received from his tag shows the recorded temperature dropping and this, along with the fact that he appears to have been stationary for quite a while, suggests that he has perished (rather than there being a tag failure).

He has made a very valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of Cuckoo ecology and we will miss reporting on his movements.  

JAC is back!

24 Apr 2023
We are pleased to report that JAC completed his migration back to his breeding grounds over the weekend. Over the last three months he has flown 8,270km (5,138 miles) on his migration north and has arrived at his breeding grounds approximately one week earlier than last year. In 2021 he departed on 23 June and in 2022 he left on on 20 June so we expect him to stay in the World's End area for approximately two months before heading off on his return migration to the Congo. 

JAC reaches northern France

21 Apr 2023
New updates received from JAC's tag on Wednesday (19 April) show that he had flown 923km (574 miles) north from his last location in eastern Spain to northern Brittany. At 21:42 on Wednesday 19 April he was just west of the town of Saint-Gonnery. Where will he be when we receive the next update?

JAC pushes north through Spain

30 Mar 2023
New updates received late last night show that JAV has flown a further 515km (320 miles) north east from his last location in Andalusia. He is now close to the village of Graja de Campalbo in the province of Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha. 

JAC crosses the Sahara

28 Mar 2023
We predicted, based on data from last year, that Ellis would be the first of our tagged Cuckoos to cross the Sahara this year. Last year he crossed on 28 March, while JAC waited until 7 April and Victor II lingered until 14 April. New updates received last night show that JAC has not only crossed the Sahara but continued on into Spain. He has flown 3,047km (1,893 miles) north since our last update, taking him from south eastern Guinea over the Sahara and the Strait of Gibraltar into southern Spain. He is now close to the town of Gaucín in the mountains of Andalusia in Málaga. Last year he stayed in southern Spain until 26 April when he moved north again, arriving back in Llangollen on 29 April. It'll be interesting to see whether he takes a break in Spain this year before embarking on the next stage of his migration.

JAC still in Guinea

24 Mar 2023

Since arriving in Guinea on 28 Feb JAC has flown a short distance north and is now halfway between Diassadougou and Guieredougou in eastern Guinea. He has spent approximately 20 days in this area preparing for the next leg of his northward migration. Last year he began crossing the Sahara on 7th April, so be prepared for JAC to migrate north within the next 3 weeks.

JAC joins Ellis in Guinea

27 Feb 2023
JAC has flown a further 1390km (864 miles) west from his last location in western Nigeria to his new location in south eastern Guinea. He is now approximately 200km south east of Cuckoo Ellis. Both Cuckoos will spend the next few weeks feeding up in preparation for the next leg of their northward migration. 

JAC is on his way!

23 Feb 2023
Having spent the last few weeks in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a new update received at 18:20 last night (22 February) shows that JAC has flown 1,915km (1,190 miles) west to Nigeria. At that time last night he was just south of the city of Ibadan in south-western Nigeria. In 2022 JAC's inital move west saw him arrive in Ivory Coast on 27 Feb where he stayed until 7 April when he embarked on his desert crossing, arriving back in the UK on 29 April. Will JAC move on to Ivory Coast again? Stay tuned to find out!

JAC moves to DRC

30 Jan 2023
Over the past week JAC has flown 460km (285 miles) north east, flying from his last location in the Republic of the Congo over the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last winter he moved into DRC in early November and remained here until late February when he moved to Cameroon. His current location in DRC is very close to the area he visited in January 2022.  

JAC nudges south in the Republic of Congo

07 Nov 2022
Since our last update JAC has relocated 40km south within the Republic of Congo. He is currently at the edge of a forested area close to the town of Gamboma in the Plateaux region of central Republic of Congo. He is still south and west of his 2021 wintering grounds over the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

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