Joe is one of two Cuckoos tagged at Cranwich in Norfolk in 2022, the other being JD. After tagging JD, we moved to Cranwich Heath. We placed a triangle of nets around a lone bush and placed the decoy and mp3 playing in the middle. After setting the nets, turning on the MP3 and making a cup of tea Joe was heard calling from the edge of the heath. He soon flew into the area and perched on a dead branch calling and displaying to the fake female. He then flew inside the triangle of nets, scared a Linnet and promptly flew into the net, with the Linnet. Both were promptly extracted and the Cuckoo was tagged. We have targeted birds from this area to boost our sample of East Anglian birds. Cranwich Heath is approximately 10 miles north of BTO HQ at Thetford. JD and Joe will be the sixth and seventh Cuckoos to be tracked from this area, following Attenborough, Tennyson, Thomas, Sylvester and Stanley. These birds have typically taken the easterly route south to Africa. Joe was named by tag funder Sarianne Durie who recalls that she and her late husband Joe much enjoyed the cuckoos’ arrival, calling and displaying each spring when they lived by the River Leach. Initially there would be several birds, as time when by there were fewer and fewer – which saddened them greatly.
Updates from our Cuckoos
Read the latest updates from our Cuckoos on their epic migration between the UK and tropical Africa, or track their movements in real-time on our Cuckoo migration map.
- If you enjoy these updates, please consider sponsoring a Cuckoo. Sponsors receive special updates about their chosen Cuckoo in the Cuckoo e-newsletter.
Introducing Joe
13 Jun 2022
Introducing JD
13 Jun 2022
JD was ringed at Cranwich in Norfolk, a site where BTO staff and volunteers try to monitor all the Reed warblers, JD's host species, so quite a few of his progeny will be ringed and monitored. We placed a net along the track, and after a short wait he came flying down the track and got caught in the net. On a CES ringing session on 11/06/2022 he was seen flying around the netting area calling to the female, so has been a regular at Cranwich since being tagged.We have targeted birds from this area to boost our sample of East Anglian birds. Cranwich Heath is approximately 10 miles north of BTO HQ at Thetford. JD and Joe will be the sixth and seventh Cuckoos to be tracked from this area, following Attenborough, Tennyson, Thomas, Sylvester and Stanley. These birds have typically taken the easterly route south to Africa. JD was named by his tag funder John Davis.
The end of the road for PJ
09 Jun 2022
We are very sad to report that the time has finally come to bid farewell to our old friend PJ, the longest lived of our satellite tagged Cuckoos to date. PJ was tagged in the King's Forest in Suffolk on Tuesday 7 June, 2016 when he was already a second year bird (i.e. hatched in 2015). He arrived back in the UK on 24th April this year but there have been no transmissions from his tag since 6th May when he was still at his breeding grounds in the King's Forest. Tag failures are rare in the UK, where the tags are not exposed to such harsh conditions as when the birds are on migration, so we must assume that PJ has reached the end of his life. He was at least seven years old when he arrived in the King’s Forest this spring, only one year short of the longevity record for a wild UK Cuckoo.
As well as being the first tagged Cuckoo to use both the Spanish and Italian routes to the wintering grounds in the Congo Basin, PJ completed six epic tracked migrations to Africa and back. This is the greatest number of migratory journeys of any tagged Cuckoo. When he returned to the UK in April this year he had over 60,000 miles under his wing.
Although PJ may be gone, his legacy - six years of location data - lives on, and his contribution to our understanding of Cuckoo migration will continue to inform BTO’s research. PJ built on the contributions of all the tagged Cuckoos before him, just as this year’s cohort will build on the knowledge we gained from PJ - a body of research which we hope will help reverse the sad decline seen in the UK Cuckoo population.
We are grateful for the data and the inspiration that PJ has given us and hope that you too have enjoyed following him. If you'd like to share any reflections on PJ's amazing story we would love to hear them.
No news from PJ
27 May 2022
It's been a couple of weeks since we've received any updates from PJ. The last transmission from his tag showed that he was at his breeding grounds in the King's Forest, Thetford.
Daniel is back at Lake Vyrnwy
06 May 2022
Further updates that arrived yesterday morning showed that Daniel had completed his journey back to his breeding grounds at Lake Vyrnwy. Having had such a long period during the winter when we received no updates from his tag, we are delighted that not only did his tag come back to life but that he has successfully completed his migration.
Calypso is back again
05 May 2022
New updates from Calypso's tag last night showed that he was within a stone's throw of his tagging location at Wildgoose nature reserve in Worcestershire. He was tagged here on 19 May 2021 and stayed until 23 June so we expect him to remain on site for the next six weeks or so. Bravo Calypso!
Daniel is back in Wales!
05 May 2022
Daniel has flown 843 km (524 miles) since our last update, taking him from Central France to mid Wales. A new update received early this morning showed that he was just north of Welshpool, just 30 km (18.6 miles) from his tagging location on the shores of Lake Vyrnwy. He left his breeding grounds on 3 July last year so we expect him to stay for around 8 weeks. So if you are visiting RSPB's wonderful Lake Vyrnwy reserve or the surrounding area over the next couple of months, listen out for Cuckoo Daniel!
Daniel moves to Central France
04 May 2022
We last heard from Daniel on the evening of 2 May, by which time he was 50 km (31 miles) NW of Clermont-Ferrand in Central France.
Calypso reaches England
04 May 2022
Calypso spent a few days on the Island of Oléron off the west coast of France but new updates that came in between 07:50 and 08:00 yesterday morning showed him 630 km (390 miles) north, passing to the west of Chippenham. His last update which arrived at lunchtime yesterday showed him passing to the west of Tewkesbury. Another 20km and he'll be back at Wild Goose Nature Reserve in Worcestershire where he was tagged on 19 May 2021.
Victor II has made it back to Scotland
03 May 2022
Victor II has flown the final 365 km (227 miles) from Cheshire to his breeding grounds in Scotland. By 11.15 this morning he was back on the shores of Loch Katrine where he was tagged on 19 May last year. He left on 13 June last year so he may only be here for 6 weeks or so before setting off again.
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