Updates from our Cuckoos

Locations received this morning (Thursday 11 April) show that BB is still in the Upper Niger NP in Guinea. He is within a few kms of both the upper reaches of the Niger itself and its confluence with a major tributary. Both watercourses are already quite large this far upstream (the Niger is over 100m wide), reflecting the very high rainfall that areas upstream in this corner of West Africa receive each year. 

BB has surprised us by moving quickly onwards and transmitting from the centre of Guinea! The last signals received show him in the National Park of the Upper Niger on the afternoon of the 6 April after covering 685km (425 miles) from his last position in Ivory Coast. This is the furthest west that any of the tagged Cuckoos has ventured on their northward migration and has come as a surprise given last year's Cuckoos from England have staged in Ghana or Ivory Coast. 

Having remained in Nigeria, close to the border with Benin, for two weeks until at least 1 April, the latest transmissions on the morning of 4 April show that BB has moved west, over Benin, Togo and Ghana and into Ivory Coast. He has moved around 790km (490 miles) west in two days and is currently in the Zanzan region, about 84km (52 miles) south-east of Chance's last transmitted location within the Ivory Coast and about 50km (31 miles) NNE of where Martin stopped over in March 2012. BB's previous stop over in Nigeria was the furthest east we have seen one of the tracked cuckoos fuel for the Sahara crossing - his current position is much more typical but other than re-fuelling from his latest movement, we wonder how much more fattening he needs to do before heading out north?

None of the Cuckoos began crossing the Sahara, as anticipated, over the Easter weekend but we still expect them to make a move soon. Stay tuned for further updates when we get news of any movements. 

Signals were received from BB’s tag yesterday morning and reveal that he has remained within Nigeria, in the Oyo district close to the border with Benin, where he has been for more than ten days now.

BB has continued moving in an approximately north-westerly direction. A location received in the very early hours of Sunday morning (17 March) showed that he was in south-western Nigeria, close to the border with Benin, about 600km (375 miles) WNW of the location he held on 14 March. As there was only a single location we don’t know if he was moving at the time this latest location was received.

The last transmission received for BB was on 3 March when he was in Cameroon. The newest signal, received yesterday afternoon, shows that he is now approximately 650km ( 400 miles) further NW and has joined Chris in Nigeria.  BB is now in the Akwa Ibom Region of the Niger Delta and is about 290km (180 miles) south of Chris.

BB’s previous transmission in Cameroon showed he was on the border between the East and South Regions of Cameroon but from here he continued 100km (60 miles) in a more northerly direction, transmitting from his new location on 3 March. David and Chris are similar distances away from his new location, 124km (77 miles) and 141km (88 miles) respectively, although in different directions.

BB is the latest of the Cuckoos to have started moving north-west! He has left Congo and transmissions received yesterday afternoon show that he is now in Cameroon. He is on the border between the East and South regions and has covered 417 km (260 miles) since his previous position.  David, who is also in Cameroon, is 197 km (123 miles) to the north of BB.  

Both Chris and BB remain in Congo, at the north end of the Téké Plateau and have shown no sign of moving north yet. We last received a location for BB’s tag this morning and for Chris's yesterday morning. Currently just 85km (53 miles) separates the two of them.