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.
- If you enjoy these updates, please consider sponsoring a Cuckoo. Sponsors receive special updates about their chosen Cuckoo in the Cuckoo e-newsletter.
Selborne on the west coast of France
Selborne heading south again
Selborne still in the New Forest
Selborne arrives back in the UK
Will PJ or Selborne be back first?
Selborne heads north
Selborne in Spain
Selborne is the first of our Cuckoos to return to Europe this year. Having successfully crossed the desert he spent a few days resting north of Morocco, but was on the move again in the early hours of 3 April. By lunchtime he had crossed the ocean and was in southern Spain, just north of Linares. He is on the edge of the Sierra de Andújar Natural Park, part of the immense Sierra Morena mountain range which stretches for 400 kilometres east-west across southern Spain. It's heavily covered by Mediterranean forest and scrubland and is home to endangered species such as the lynx, wolf, black vulture and imperial eagle.
Selborne completes desert crossing
By 23 March, Selborne was on his way north and embarking on his desert crossing, having flown over Mali and into Mauritania. Signals on 25 March show he headed northwest slightly, towards the west coast of Morocco and the latest signal, received yesterday, revealed he had sucessfully completed the crossing and was north of Marrakesh.
He has taken a much more westerly route this year compared to his route through Mali and Algeria last year, though the timing is very similar. By 28 March 2017 he had left Africa and was in Spain, arriving back in the UK by 12 April 2017.
Could Selborne become the first tagged Cuckoo back to the UK this year? And if so, let's hope he brings the spring with him!
Selborne and PJ head east
After having travelled so far west, two of our Cuckoos have turned around and gone eastwards. From the Guinea Highlands, Selborne has travelled north-eastwards 125km (80 miles) while PJ has also headed east 190km (115 miles) within Ivory Coast. This may be to do with conditions being more favourable here.
Share this page