Updates from our Cuckoos

Lyster is close to Clement and Martin (who came down from Central African Republic a week ago) on the Teke Plateau, using forest patches in this grassland/forest mosaic.  Despite being the last Cuckoo to leave Britain, Lyster was the second (after Kasper) to reach this far south, and has been there since 8 November. His closest neighbour is Clement – the other Cuckoo who left Europe via Iberia and entered the far western part of the African continent. They are approximately 90km apart – the distance that separates the locations at which they were tagged in East Anglia.

During the week preceding 16 December Martin moved south from his previous position in southern Central African Republic and settled on the Teke Plateau in Congo, about 90 and 120km from Lyster and Martin respectively. Like them, he is using forest patches with lots of edges in this forest-savannah mosaic.

Clement is one of three Cuckoos on the Teke Plateau in Congo, and has been there since 23 November. The plateau is covered in grassland interspersed with humid closed-canopy forest. Climatically, it is within the humid closed-canopy tropical forest zone but the sandy soils combined with frequent fires mean this habitat restricted mostly to the river courses. This seems to provide ideal conditions for Cuckoos – the satellite photos show how Clement is using forest patches with lots of edges in the northern part of the plateau.

Our five cuckoos didn't remain in the same country for long but they still remain close. On the 16th December Chris transmitted from Congo but the next transmission, received on the 19th, showed he had moved around 40km across the border and in to the Democratic Republic of Congo.

At 12.44 on 15 December, Clement was still around 80km (50 miles) north-east of Lyster and around 100km (60 miles) north-west of Martin's new position in Congo. Will these birds get any closer? Watch this space.

The last transmission from Kasper, at 05.49 on the 15 December, reports that he is still in his previous position, and is still the most southerly of our cuckoos.

As of 15.00 on 14 December, Lyster was still in Congo, on the edge of cleared rainforest.

A message from Martin at 03.13 on 16 December shows that he is now 635km (395miles) south of his previous position. He is now around 80km (50miles) south-east of Lyster, and the fifth of our cuckoos to arrive in Congo.

A transmission from Chris, received at 06.13 on 14 December, shows that he is still in his former position on the west bank of the Congo River.

Chris is still close to the mighty Congo River in the heart of the rainforest, and a transmission from him on Wednesday 7 December at 07.09 shows his position is unchanged.