Updates from our Cuckoos

A series of poor quality locations from Ash during early July showed that he was moving around in Croatia but we have heard nothing since. The tag data showed that he was alive when we last heard from it so it’s possible that his tag has failed.

The Po watershed and surrounding areas used by our Cuckoos on their migration are experiencing severe drought this year and we think this may be why Viator failed to successfully complete the desert crossing. We fear that Cookie and Ash have also been affected as it's been so long since we heard from their tags and we suspect we won't receive further signals.

Both Viator and Ash left the Po area and headed further east to Croatia, which is unusual, and could have been because of poor conditions. However, it's extremely likely that the part of Croatia, just over the Adriatic (55 miles form the Po delta), is also suffering from this regional drought.

Previously we've only ever lost two southeasterly migrating birds before completion of the Sahara crossing, both in 2012, and so far it looks like we've lost three this year. 

Ash has headed south out of Slovenia and is currently in Croatia west of Zagore.

From Italy, Ash has headed north-east  295km (180 miles) and ticked a new country for our tagged Cuckoos, by stopping in Slovenia. Over the years some of our Cuckoos have gone as far east as this, visiting Slovakia, Austira and and Montenegro, but normally they have come down through Germany rather than through Italy. It will be interesting to see where he heads next! 

By the evening of the 22 June Ash had travelled 280km (175 miles) north-east within Italy to a location close to Bologna.  

Ash has continued south from northern France. By 20 June he had covered 380km (240 miles) and was east of Lyon and by the morning of the 21 June he was 285km (177 miles) further on his journey and was just inside Italy, to the north-west of San Remo, making him our most southerly Cuckoo.  

The British summer is over for Ash as he has now left the country and made his way to northen France, beginning his migration south to Africa.  He's not the only one to have left as we believe Fred is also in France and has been for a few days.

Ash has returned to the UK over the weekend, ariving back in Sussex on 25 April, having left Lower Normandy and travelled 200km (125 miles). He is the fourth tagged Cuckoo to return. 

Since the morning of the 20 April Ash has continued moving north from Algeria. By the end of the day he was in southern Spain and by the morning of 22 April he had made it as far as the western coast of France, near Nantes. By the 23 he was in Lower Normandy. 

Ash is also undertaking the massive Sahara crossing and signals show he appears to be getting through the distance as he heads towards the northern coast of Africa. From his last position in Ivory Coast he has covered  2360km (1465 miles) and is close to Morocco.