Updates from our Cuckoos

We now believe that Chester, tagged in spring 2014, died whilst still in the UK this summer. The last signal was received on the 4 June and none have been received since.  Chester dying on the breeding grounds is unusual and this is the first time that we have seen this for a bird that has already been tracked on one migration. It could perhaps be a knock on effect of the cold wet summer we have experienced. In 2012 we saw a similar effect.  

Viator has not continued on from his last transmitted location in Sudan and we think he has perished while making his desert crossing, arguably one of the biggest challenges the Cuckoos face on their migration.  It could be that the cold wet summer we have experienced has had some knock on effect on his migration preparations. In 2012 when it was also very wet we saw a similar effect on the progress of the tagged Cuckoos.   

From Northern Italy, Peckham has flown 930km (575 miles) southeast to a location in the toe of Italy, close to Bovalino, in the region of Calabria. 

A further signal from Viator’s tag shows that he had continued his desert crossing and made it as far as Sudan by the afternoon of the 28 July. 

Since lunchtime on the 26 July, Vigilamus has continued south, covering 1640km (1020 miles), from Libya to complete his desert crossing and transmitting from a location in Chad on the evening of the 28 July.  He is the fourth of our tagged Cuckoos to successfully complete the desert crossing this year. 

David didn’t spend long in the Po Valley before moving on.  Low quality signals received on the 25 July show he had already moved on further eastwards with a good quality signal on 28 confirming that he was in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Last year his tag also transmitted a location from here, though he arrived earlier in July, before moving to Montenegro, a country he has visited each year since 2012, a week later.  He appears to be a bit behind schedule this year so it will be interesting to see how long he spends here and whether he continues to Montenegro before making his crossing to Africa.

By 23 July, David had left France and travelled east to Italy and the Po Valley.

We hadn't received signals for several weeks from Disco Tony, who last transmitted from France, so it was nice to see some new transmissions from him this weekend.  These revealed he had moved on and was in the Po Valley, a known stopover site for some of our Cuckoos before they continue on south, in Italy.  

Two of our Cuckoos, Viator and Vigilamus, tagged in the North Yorkshire Moors, transmitted from Africa on the morning of 26 July. Viator appears to have taken a slightly more easterly route and has travelled to Egypt, a country which only one other Cuckoo, Lloyd tagged in Wales, has ventured to throughout the years we have been tracking Cuckoos. A poor quality signal indicates Viator made the 2100km (1305 miles) leap to Egypt from a location in Greece. 

Vigilamus last transmitted from close to the French/Italian border in southern France on the 21 July, a 2400km  (1490 miles) away from his new location.  

Charlie has traveled a further 850km (530 miles) to southern Italy and is now in the Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park, about 100km (60 miles) from Larry's location.