Updates from our Cuckoos

Larry has left France. By the afternoon of 22 June had travelled 890km (550 miles). and signals revealed that he was on the island of Punta Križa, off the coast of Croatia. This is several weeks earlier than he visited Croatia last year. In fact, at this time last year, Larry was still at his tagging site before then moving on to Hungary by 24 June and then to Croatia in July, but further south than he is currently. 

Transmissions show that by the evening of the 19 June, Larry was the third of our tagged Cuckoos to have left the UK. Signals revealed he was 85km (50 miles) east of Reims, between the communes of Septsarges and Dannevouxis in the department of Meuse, France. Larry spent around six weeks in the UK before departing. 

Larry is visiting all parts of the Forest of Bowland but is currently focussing most of his attention on an area between Stocks Reservoir and Botton Head.

Recent signals from Larry's tag show that he left the south coast and continued north to arrive back on his breeding grounds in the Forest of Bowland, Lancashire by May 7. 

From Spain, Larry has traveled around 905 km (565 miles) to arrive on the south coast of England by the afternoon of 1 May. He is currently located between Sidmouth and Exmouth near the Sawmill Reservoir, Yettington. He still has around 350km (220 miles) to go to reach his breeding grounds at the Forest of Bowland,Lancashire. He is the third of our tagged Cuckoos to return to the UK this year. 

From the Sierra Morenna Mountains Larry has traveled 460km (286 miles) northwards within Spain and is just north of Aras, a town in the Navarre region. Victor, the latest Cuckoo to have crossed the desert, is slightly further north than Larry and is in France. Who will be the next Cuckoo to make it back to their breeding grounds? 

Signals on the 19 April showed that Larry had successfully completed his desert crossing and was north of the Sienna Morena Mountain range in the Castile-La Mancha region of Spain. He has travelled 2713km (1685 miles) since the last poor transmissions on 17 April in Mauritania. He is the third of our tagged Cuckoos to successfully cross the desert this spring.

A series of poor locations received from Larry's tag during the early evening of 17 April show that he had embarked on his desert crossing, and was heading north through central Mauritania. We will have to wait until the evening of 19 April (the time when his tag should give locations again) to see if he has been successful. Right now this part of the desert is enjoying light southerly winds, which should help Larry on his way.

Larry is still in Guinea. He arrived here a week ago and we would expect him to remain here for a little while longer, preparing for his desert crossing.

Larry has travelled even further west and is now in Guinea. He's in an area just south of the National Park of Upper Niger.  We would expect him to leave in the next week or so. Will he be the next Cuckoo to arrive in Europe?