Updates from our Cuckoos

Derek has still not left yet Britain which means that he and Cuckoo 134957, who is in Belgium, are currently our two most northern Cuckoos. Walpole is only a little further south, still in France (along with Emsworthy who is close to the south coast) where they have been since early July. 

While we have three Cuckoos currently touring in France (Walpole, Emsworthy and 134955) there are now just two tagged birds which remain in the UK; Derek and Gowk. While the actual Tour De France will have departed the country soon, it could be a while before we see these Cuckoos move on. Last year Derek didn't leave the UK until 17 July but the latest departure we have seen since the beginning of the project was Scottish Cuckoo Patch, who left on 26 July last year. 

With three un-named birds left we are letting you choose what to name one of our Sherwood Cuckoos!  Anyone who sponsors a Cuckoo before the end of June will be entered in to a draw. We’ll then pick one entry at random and will contact the winner who can then suggest a suitable name*. Find out how you could name a Cuckoo. 

Our East Anglian Cuckoos have yet to budge, with all seven birds remaining in the UK. In previous years Chris has left between 11-21 June, while last year Skinner left on 30 June and Derek on 17 July. It may be a while before we see any movement from these two birds but keep an eye on Chris over the weekend.  

With a flurry of Cuckoos leaving the UK, Ash looks to be the only tagged Cuckoo remaining in the most southern of our tagging locations. 

During the early morning of 4 May Derek transmitted from Basingstoke, Hampshire. He is back in the UK! By mid-morning he was back in East Anglia and heading for the Norfolk Broads, his tagging site. At 13.30 he had done it, he was back in the Broads - the end of an epic migration from the Congo Rainforest.

Signals on 23 April show that Derek was crossing over the Mediterranean Sea. When the next cycle of tranmissions was sent on 26 he was in southern Spain, 230km (145 miles) south of Madrid. He has now moved northwards and is close to the border with France. 

Derek was still in Ivory Coast on the 14 April but the next good signal we received on the 21 April showed that he had been busy during that time, having crossed the Sahara desert and reached the Atlas Mountains in Algeria. He leaves behind Ken, who is the only tagged Cuckoo now with a desert crossing ahead of him. 

Derek has continued 350km (218 miles) on from his last location and is now in the north-west of Ivory Coast, very close to it's border with Guinea. As for two of his fellow Norfolk Cuckoos, Ken, has also made it to Ivory Coast, while Chris has recently arrived in Ghana.

From his last position to the west of Lake Volta, Derek continued a further 445km (275 miles) in a north-westerly direction, across the border and in to Ivory Coast. He is now just north of  Bouaké (or Bwake), the second largest city in Ivory Coast. Waller is a further 400km (250 miles) to the south-west.

By the 28 February, Derek had moved from Congo to central Cameroon.  This morning, 7 March, we received signals showing he had covered a further 1490km (925 miles), which puts him to the west of Lake Volta in Ghana. He is the third of our tagged Cuckoos in West Africa but is further to the west than Ken who has remained in Nigeria.