Updates from our Cuckoos

In mid-winter Skinner was our most southerly Cuckoo. He was then the first to make his move north, becoming the most northerly Cuckoo, for a short time. He is now, once again, one of our most southerly Cuckoos (only Derek is further south). Having arrived in Cameroon on 13 January, he has since turned back south and is now back in Gabon, on the outskirts of the Minkébé National Park,  276km (171 miles) south east of his previous location. Clearly, something was not quite to his liking in southern Cameroon.

Livingstone has made a move north. As of 21 February, he was 276km (171 miles) north of his mid-winter site in Gabon and is now in south Cameroon.

Ken is still close to Mount Cameroon, the area he arrived in on 13 February. As he is currently our most westerly Cuckoo, will he be the first to head into West Africa?

On 1st February, the last time we heard from Ken, he was in South East Gabon, close to the border with Congo and one of our most southerly Cuckoos. As of mid-afternoon on 13 February he became our most northerly bird, having moved 812km (504 miles) north-west. He is now just north of Mount Cameroon in south-west Cameroon, having just completed his first leg back to the UK.

We've received transmissions from Waller's tag which reveal that he is now in Cameroon, 390km (245 miles) further northwest than his last known location in Congo. He is moving closer to the edge of the block of the Congo Rainforest but still has a little way to go before he gets there. Only David is further north than Waller now. 

Patch has left his position close to Ken within Gabon and since the 4 Feb has travelled 310km (190 miles). This has taken him over the border and into Congo. He is in the area between two National Parks and is roughly 50 miles (80km) further north than both Whortle and Derek.

We still have yet to hear news from either Chance or Tor, who had been in a similar area of dense cover close to the Gabon/Congo border, when their tags last transmitted. 

If their respective batteries have not been receiving enough solar charge to power them over a long period of time there is a possibility that the battery may degrade and not be able to power up again. However, if they have been receiving some small charge during this time, though not enough to send a transmission, then once exposed to enough light, transmissions should start back up again. We continue to hope that like David, who went over 6 weeks without a tag transmission but recently re-emerged, Chance and Tor may reappear if and when they move northwards. 

Signals received today show that David has now crossed into the Central African Republic, after a further journey of 420km (260 miles), and is clear of the block of more or less continuous closed canopy forest of the Congo Rainforest.

He is on a very similar schedule to last year, when he arrived at this location around the 28 January. He then spent almost 2 months moving along the edge of the forest block line before making a huge jump, at the end of March and into early April, to the western part of West Africa. This was quite unusual compared to the other Cuckoos who stopped over in one or two countries as they made their way west rather than apparently attempting it in one jump.

Ken has moved directly north within Gabon, heading towards Patch's current location. He has travelled around 110km (67 miles) which means that only 12km (8 miles) separates him and Patch now. 

Having left his last location in Congo, Patch travelled in a south-westerly direction, crossing over the border with Gabon on the 18 January. Transmissions received on the 25 January indicate he has remained  int his location.