Updates from our Cuckoos

We suspect that Wallace’s tag has failed. We have received no further signals since 14 September when the charge of his tag was very low - it had been progressively charging to lower levels over several previous cycles. We now do not think the tag will be able to power on again and let us know Wallace’s whereabouts. There is no indication that Wallace has perished as the tag’s temperature remained normal. 

BB’s tag transmitted locations over the weekend showing that he remained in Chad.  Meanwhile, we have not received any further transmissions from Roy's tag since the 6 October. Whilst we had no cause for concern for Wallace when his tag last transmitted on the 14 September, the longer the silence continues, the more we wonder why.

It is now two weeks since we last heard from Wallace’s tag, when its charge was very low and unconfirmed locations suggested he may have left to the SE. We had expected to hear more by now but as the tag’s charge was so low, it is still possible that he is in a location where it can’t charge. We may yet hear more about Wallace’s travels and are keeping our fingers crossed for him.

Since we last received a location for Wallace in northern Italy (9 September) we have received two unconfirmed locations that suggest he has left Italy in a SE direction and may be taking a route east of the Adriatic. This would make him the third Cuckoo to do so, following David and Roy. The charge on his tag was very low when the last one was received on Friday 14 September so we may have to wait a while before he pops up somewhere else and we get a better idea of his movements.

There have been no movements of note from our Cuckoos in the last few days. Transmissions have been received from Indy and Chance today and Lloyd, David, Wallace, Roy, BB and Chris in the last few days. Hopefully there will be more to report after the weekend! 

Unconfirmed signals suggest that Wallace has moved 30km (18 miles) northeast, placing him 7 miles west of the shores of Lake Garda. 

Wallace was still in Switzerland on 1 September but by early this morning (3 September) he had moved to a location in northern Italy, about 17km (11 miles) west of the south end of Lake Garda and about 10km (6 miles) SE of Brescia. This location is at the northern edge of the Po floodplain, just south of the foothills of the Alps. He is there much later than the other Cuckoos who have used the floodplain to prepare for their desert crossing – the other Cuckoos that have used the Po watershed later in the season have tended to use the foothills rather than the floodplain, so we hope he will be able to find the remaining food he needs to fuel his migration. 

Wallace remains in Switzerland but appears to have moved south a small distance. Transmissions from his tag on August 27 show that he is around 10km (6 miles) south from Lake Brienz.

Between 14 and 16 August Wallace moved approximately 140km (88 miles) S from his location in southern Germany to the northern foothills of the Alps in Switzerland, between Lake Neuchâtel and Lake Lucerne. He was still in this area when we last heard from him (Saturday 18 August)  - we are receiving few high quality locations so it is difficult to pin him down precisely but he is most likely in or close to a valley near the town of Schüpfheim.  

Wallace has flown 55km (35 miles) southwest within Germany and is now close to the village of Lauterbach in the Black Forest near Schramberg.  Mungo’s last transmission on 29 July locates him near Lake Chad but we haven’t received any further signals from him. BB is also in Chad and we last heard from him on 13 August.