Updates from our Cuckoos

Chris is finally on his way over to Africa but BB is still in Italy.  Although 'late' like Chris, signals indicate he is still alive and so we hope that eventually they will both successfully cross the Sahara. It's really interesting that these older birds, Chris, who was tagged in 2011, and BB, who was tagged in 2012, have changed their schedules this year to leave so much later. Is age proving a factor in being able to put on enough fat to to make the tough journey?  

Since the 27 August Derek left Burkina Faso and headed east. By the 29 August he was in Nigeria and by 31 he was in Cameroon, close to its border with Chad. He has covered over 1800km (1120 miles) in this time and is now one of the more southerly Cuckoos.  

By the evening of 25 August, Skinner was on the move again, heading 250km (155  miles) south-east to Nigeria and pausing at a location near Sokoto, close to where the Sokoto river and the Rima river join together. At this time of year there should be regular rainfail.

Today Dudley has moved 445km (275 miles) in a south-easterly direction and is now in Cameroon. This makes him the most southerly Cuckoo and the first of the Cuckoos this year to transmit from the Congo Basin and the lowland rain forest.

Cuckoo 134955 has moved east from Mali and is now in Burkina Faso. He has been joined by Chester, who moved on quickly from his location in Mauritania. They are further west than many of the Cuckoos and, by taking the western route through Spain, have a longer journey to get to the Congo Rainforest than some of other Cuckoos but they will have been able to cross the desert at one of its narrowest points.   

Stanley has travelled south from Niger and is now in Nigeria. He joins Sherwood bird Dudley, in the east of Nigeria, and Devon bird Emsworthy, who is about as far east in Nigeria as you can go, close to Nigeria's border with Cameroon. 

By 11 August Skinner had journeyed a futher 315km (195 miles) from the location he first grounded in within Mali. Yesterday he had made even more progress and was in Niger. He still has a little way to go to make it to the forest edge further south but hopefully this progress is a good sign. 

On 10 August 134957 was north-west of Toulouse in southern France. Signals received on 14 August indicated that he had travelled 800km (500 miles) south from there and crossed the Balearic Sea to reach the Algerian coast.  He continued to travel south through Algeria and by 17 August was in Mali, close to the area where Skinner paused his journey for a short time. We will have to wait for further signals to see whether 134957 waits here or pushes on to complete his desert crossing. 

Chester has made his move from Spain and travelled south over the sea to reach Africa.  He has made his way through western Algeria and further poor quality signals indicate he has continued on into Mauritania.