Updates from our Cuckoos

Sayaan has now crossed from Spain into France and is currently near the small picturesque town of La Gacilly, in Brittany.  

He avoided a Pyranees crossing, taking a direct route from the north Spanish coast across the Bay of Biscay and arriving in the Parc Naturel Régional de Brière, by the Loire estuary, covering some 656km (407 miles).

After a rather slow start, Cuach Cores has really sprung into life and in just a few short days has covered an astonishing 3,500km (2,175 miles) from Ghana, through Burkina Faso, Mali and Algeria. He is now poised to cross the Mediterranean near the Tunisian coast.    

Which direction will Cores take? He could veer west across to eastern Spain, head north to France via Sardinia or maybe take a more leisurely route up through Italy? Given the logical route from his current location to Ireland, a more direct sea crossing is most likely, but that comes with its perils! After such a lengthy desert crossing we hope that he’ll take time to rest and feed.  

After several days in the Andújar area, Sayaan has flown approximately 450km (280 miles) north to a mountainous region close to the town of Tarazona.

He is just 66km (41 miles) to the south of Trent and is headed for the French border. With favourable winds forecast, he could make good progress in the next couple of days.

Joe is the first of our tagged Cuckoos to reach France, having moved some 580km (360 miles) since his last location on the Spanish / Portuguese border.

He flew north-east, passing over Bilbao and took a little short-cut over the Bay of Biscay, arriving in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, in an area of coastal lakes just 75km (46 miles) south-west of Bordeaux.

KP has flown around 388km (241 miles) due north and is now in area of fertile plains just south of the Montaña Palentina Natural Park, in the province of Castile and León.  

Just 88km (54 miles) from the coast at Santander, will he head north before making a short crossing over the Bay of Biscay, or might he fly east and cross into France to the west of the Pyranees?

Still south of the Sahara, Cuach Cores has moved 185km (114 miles) north in recent days, and is currently heading through the Savannah Region of northern Ghana.

He is 132km (82 miles) south of the Tamale, the capital city of the Northern Region and is reasonably close to both Mole National Park and Bui National Park, whose lush landscapes support populations of Elephant, Leopard and Hippopotamus.  

Trent has now left the mountains to the west of Madrid, and after skirting around the Spanish capital, has started heading up toward the Pyrenees.  

After a journey of around 375km (233 miles) he is now in the autonomous Navarre region just 37km (22 miles) south-west of Pamplona and 72km (44 miles) from the French border.

With southerly airflows forecast in the coming days, Trent and the rest of the tagged Cuckoos in Spain should start heading our way with greater determination!

Joe continues to stick close to the Portuguese border and after a 172km (106 miles) journey north is now exploring the area just east of the town of Saucelle, close to the Arribes del Duero Natural Park.

Will his next big move see him heading north-east and into France west of the Pyrenees, or will he cut across a stretch of the Bay of Biscay and make landfall further north along the French coast?

Lagging slightly behind Trent and Cuach Torc, KP has moved a comparatively leisurely 125km (77 miles) north since leaving the Sierra de Hornachuelos Natural Park area a few days ago.

He is currently just south of the municipality of Villarta de los Montes, in forest-clad mountains to the south of the Embalse de Cíjara, a large reservoir on the Guadiana River.

Trent continues his trek north and has covered around 212km (131 miles) in recent days, since leaving the Sierra de Hornachuelos Natural Park area.

He is now in central Iberia, between the small towns of La Higuera and Lanzahita in the Castile and León province.