Updates from our Cuckoos

Skinner’s last transmission from Spain was on 7 August and by the evening of 9 August, Skinner had left the country, crossed the sea, flown over the Atlas Mountains and was continuing south over Algeria. A series of transmissions show him continuing his migration over the evening of the 9 and throughout the day of 10 August.  Further transmissions received today reveal he rested in the desert for several hours before continuing onwards and a good location shows him later on in central Mali. Since the 7 August he has flown at least 2805km (1745 miles)!

Ken has continued on from his location on and has covered 330km (205 miles), just enough to take him 25km (15 miles) within the border of Burkina Faso, where fellow Norfolk Cuckoo, Derek, has also recently arrived after completing his desert crossing. He is now north-est of Mawé, a town in the Banwa Province. It's amazing to see that Nick, Derek and Ken are all now on a very similar longitude to each other, and that it's not dissimilar to those Cuckoos which travelled further east.  

Derek looks as if has completed his desert crossing! From the locations received in Mali on 6 August, it looks like Derek changed direction and began to head south-east. By 1pm yesterday he had journeyed another 1450km (900 miles) and was in the Est Region of Burkina Faso! He is about 75km (46 miles) north-west of the Pama and Singou reserves and Arli National Park.  At almost the same time, Ken also transmitted from the north-west of Burkina Faso.  Around 475km (295 miles) separates their locations.  

Derek has left Spain and is now in Africa! Signals yesterday afternoon show him over Algeria and continuing on over Mali before the transmission period ended. We will have to wait for further signals to confirm he has made it across the desert. 

Since the 30 July, Whortle has flown 135km (83 miles) south within Spain, leaving the area he had been in for two weeks, and is now close to Linares de Mora in Teruel. Could he be getting ready to continue to Africa soon?

From north-west of Bamako on 28 July, Nick has moved south-east 280km (175 miles) in the direction of Burkino Faso, through which Lyster and Clement both passed through in the first year of the project, and was close to the village of Bondo.  Last year none of the three Cuckoos that chose the route via Spain and west Africa survived, so it is good to see that conditions have been more favourable to Nick and Ken this year. Hopefully the further four Cuckoos who have taken this route and are currently in Spain and north Africa will fare well too when they follow shortly.  

From his position within Mauritania, near the Senegal border, Ken has travelled a further 385km (240 miles) to Mali and close to the Baoul National Park. This new location is only 10 miles from the position Nick was in on 28 July.  

While most of our Cuckoos are heading south, Ryder has moved 69km (43 miles) northwards from Tazekka National Park to Taounate, a town in northern Morocco, in the Rif Mountains. This region region receives more rainfall than any other region in Morocco, particularly in the west and central areas, which is presumably why he has moved north. Hopefully he wil find some good feeding opportunities and make his desert crossing soon.  

From north of Lake Chad, Sussex moved 165km (100 miles) east and then 105km (65 miles) south-east by the 4 August,  in the direction of Waller and Chris’s locations. There are currently five Cuckoos in Chad; BB, Waller, Livingstone, Chris and Sussex. 

Signals received late on 2 August confirmed that Waller had headed south and was about to attempt his desert crossing. A series of poor quality locations tracked him over Libya in the early hours of 3 August  and by the same time on 5 August  he had flown 1,720km (1070 miles) to the Hadjer-Lamis region of Chad,  30km (18 miles) south-east of Bokoro. He is roughly 65km (105 miles) from Sussex’s last transmitted location. 

Despite being the 13th Cuckoo to leave the UK, he has transmitted from Africa one day after Sussex, the first Cuckoo to leave the UK.