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Updates from our Cuckoos

Read the latest updates from our Cuckoos on their migration.

Ellis moves to Friesland

27 Jun 2022
After making landfall on the Dutch coast just south of Rotterdam, Ellis took to the skies again over the weekend, flying 204km (127 miles) north east to Friesland in the north of the Netherlands. He is now on some farmland just north of the city of Leeuwarden, an area that looks as if it could offer some very good feeding opportunities for a Cuckoo. 

Ellis returns to the Netherlands

24 Jun 2022
After what appears to be quite a long sea crossing, Ellis made landfall last night in the Netherlands. By 9pm he was on the De Kwade Hoek Nature Reserve - translated as "Evil Corner" due to the treacherous currents and sandbanks in this area. The reserve is part of the larger Dunes of Goeree nature reserve on Goeree-Overflakkee in South Holland - he has picked a beautiful spot to stop! Ellis also stopped off in the Netherlands on his way south last year albeit a little further north than his current location. In 2021 he remained in the Netherlands until 4 July when he moved swiftly south through Germany and Italy, arriving in Libya by 8 July and sub-saharan Niger by 10 July. 

Ellis is the first back to the UK

18 Apr 2022
With five tagged Cuckoos closing in on the UK, it looked like the first to return would be Ellis, PJ or Victor II. New updates received on Monday 18 April showed that Ellis had held on to his early lead and became the first of our tagged Cuckoos to make it back to the UK. He had flown the remaining 1,040 Km (646 miles) from his last location in France to his breeding grounds in Scotland. He is now back on the shores of Loch Arklet in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park where he will stay for the next 6-12 weeks or so. Bravo Ellis!

Ellis progresses north through France

11 Apr 2022
Ellis is still moving north and by 18:00 this evening (11 April) he had flown 285 km (177 miles) north from his last location west of Bordeaux. He is now just north of the Loire, close to the village of Allonnes in western France. He is now only a few hundred km from being back in the UK, will he keep going or is he going to slow down and give PJ a chance to overtake him? 

Ellis reaches France

10 Apr 2022
Ellis is the first of our tagged Cuckoos to make it to France this year. New updates received from his tag yesterday morning (9 April) show that he has flown 205 km (128 miles) north east from his last location near Lekeitio in the Basque Country to his new location on the coast to the west of Bordeaux. He is now on some farmland close to the village of Le Porge in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in south-western France.

Ellis retakes the lead in Spain

07 Apr 2022
New updates received from Ellis' tag between 4 am and 9 am this morning show that he has flown 787 km (489 miles) north, taking him the whole length of Spain. This morning's updates showed him near the towns of Lekeitio and Ondarroa in the Basque Country. 

Ellis has crossed the Sahara

31 Mar 2022
Cuckoo Ellis has become the first of all of the Cuckoos we have tracked to cross the desert during March. New updates received on Monday 28 March showed that he had flown 2,550km (1,585 miles) north over the Sahara from Guinea to Morocco. Further updates that arrived at 06:45 this morning (31 March) show that he has continued north, crossing the Straits of Gibraltar and reaching Andalusia, southern Spain. He is now  just south of the Sierra de las Nieves National Park, approximately 20km north west of Marbella. Will he continue to press north or slow his pace as he nears the UK? Stay tuned to find out! 

Ellis moves into Guinea

14 Feb 2022
New updates received yesterday evenings (13th Feb) show that Ellis has flown 358km (222 miles) north west from Ivory Coast into Guinea. He is now in south eastern Guinea, 9km south east of the town of Banankoro. 

Ellis pushes on to Ivory Coast

04 Feb 2022
After a brief stop in Ghana, it looks as if Ellis has pressed on into Ivory Coast. Since the last update he has flown 530 km (330 miles) west and is now close to Lake Sassandra in western Ivory Coast. 

Ellis moves West to Ghana!

01 Feb 2022
Updates received from Ellis' tag early yesterday morning (Jan 31), show that he has flown 1,609 km (1,000 miles) west from Cameroon to Ghana. This means he is the first of our tagged Cuckoos to move into west Africa this year. He is now approximately 40 km north west of the town of Tarkwa in western Ghana. 

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