Updates from our Cuckoos

Chris is still in the marshes just west of the border with Congo. We heard from him at 08.51 on 31 December. Of all five cuckoos, he is in the most unpopulated area.

Chris is the most northerly of the Cuckoos – in fact he is the only one still in the northern hemisphere, being three quarters of a degree above the equator. He took a similar route to Martin into Africa and was very close to him at their first location in Chad. However, we have been very surprised by where he has chosen to remain since 10 October - he is in some of the wettest forest in the Congo and from the satellite photos in Google Earth, the area appears to have continuous forest cover. He is the Western Congolian swamp forests ecoregion according to the WWF classification. This area is characterised by impenetrable swamps and forest that is flooded for several months of the year. Despite the inaccessibility of the area it is popular with cryptozoologists - people who search for animals whose existence is unproven – on account of the alleged sightings of a Loch Ness monster-like animal called the ‘Mokele-mbembe’ in the nearby Likouaka aux herbes swamp.

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.

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.

Since the 10 October Chris has been in Congo, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo. A transmission received on Sunday 27th November shows that he is still in the same area.

Chris last transmitted at 06.44 on the 13 November but has not moved from his previous location.

At 07.51 on 1 November we received a transmission from Chris that showed he was still close to the river Ubangi within Congo.

Chris last transmitted on the 27 October at 12.58 and is still in Congo, close to the Ubangi River. Lyster has made a recent movement from Gabon and has joined him in Congo.