Updates from our Cuckoos

New updates received from JAC's tag last night show that he has flown 195km (121 miles) north west from DRC, over the border into the Republic of the Congo. He is now in the north eastern corner of the vast Lake Télé Community Reserve, an area of approximately 4,389 square km (1,695 sq miles) of inaccessible swamp forest in northeastern Republic of the Congo. Is this the first leg of JAC's journey North? Stay tuned to find out! 

Over the last few days Llangollen Cuckoo JAC has left the Republic of the Congo, flying 235 km (146 miles) east into the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is now 40 km (24 miles) north of Lake Tumba and within the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe wetlands, the largest Wetland of International Importance in the world. He is within a vast area of moist tropical forest covering an area more than twice the size of Belgium. 

Over the last few days JAC has flown 866 Km (538 miles) south east from Cameroon to the Republic of Congo. He is now deep within the Congo rainforest, close to the Likouala River, a tributary of the Congo. 

New updates from JAC's tag received between 05:25 and 09:17 yesterday morning (Tuesday 5 October) show that JAC has flown 745 Km (463 miles) south east from Nigeria to Cameroon. He is now just east of Bafoussam, a city in the highlands of western Cameroon.

Since our last update, JAC has flown 357 Km (222 miles) south east into central Nigeria. He is now 200 Km north of the capital Abuja and just 55 Km south of Worcestershire Cuckoo Calypso. 

Since leaving Burkina Faso, it looks as if JAC has been on a mission to tick off as many countries as possible over the last few days. In the space of 187 Km, he has visited Benin, Niger, and Nigeria. He is now in north west Nigeria. 

In the early hours of this morning JAC flew 185Km (115 miles) east into the Kantchari department of eastern Burkina Faso, close to the border with Niger. He is now in the W National Park (so called because it is situated around a meander in the River Niger shaped like the letter W). This is the largest remaining wilderness in Burkina Faso, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing three RAMSAR wetlands of international importance and three BirdLife International Important Bird Areas. The park has areas in Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin and covers some 10,000km2 (3,900 sq miles) of largely uninhabited land. It is known for its large mammals which include some of West Africa's last wild African elephant, packs of the endangered West African wild dog and is one of the last strongholds of  the Northwest African cheetah. It is also a great place for birds, especially migrants and over 350 species have been identified here. JAC will be in some very interesting company!

Since arriving in Burkina Faso JAC has flown 98km (60 miles) south east, into the Yamba department of Burkina Faso and he is currently close to the town of Yamba. The tempertaure there today is 24° with a high probability of thundery heavy showers. 

By 7pm last night Llangollen Cuckoo JAC had covered the remaining 560Km over the Sahara in southern Mali and had arrived in Burkina Faso. At 9pm last night he was close to the town of Bogande in the Gnagna Province of eastern Burkina Faso. He was 155Km (95 miles) north east of the capital Ouagagougou. JAC joins AJ, Ellis and Calypso as the first four tagged Cuckoos to successfully complete their desert crossing this year. 2,200 km currently separates AJ in Mali in the west from Ellis in Nigeria.

JAC has made a big movement over the last few days and by 18:45 on Friday night he was in or around the Hoggar mountains in the central Sahara, southern Algeria. The highest peak in this mountain range, Mount Tahat, is 2,908 m (9,541 ft) high. Isn't it extraordinary to think of the sorts of landscapes our Cuckoos pass through on their incredible journeys? By 09:23 Saturday morning, he had made it as far as eastern Mali. In his journey from Spain he has so far covered 2,608 km (1,620 miles) and he looks as if he will finish his desert crossing in south west Niger or possibly Burkina Faso. The next update will hopefully show that he has successfully completed his desert crossing.