Updates from our Cuckoos

Peckham is our only satellite tagged Cuckoo still north of the Equator. He is still in southern Chad, very close to the border with Central African Republic, and still 1,000km (626 miles) northeast of his 2015 winter location in Gabon. In 2015 he arrived in Gabon on 8 October, so he is currently running around a month late. His tag data suggests that all is well with him, so he could move south any day now.

161321 has been in the area near Lémanga, Gabon for over a month and we are still regularly receiving tag transmissions. 

Bill has indeed carried on southwards, travelling 620km (385 miles) and leaving Gabon behind, to reach northern Angola by the early hours of 29 October. Since then he has remained in the area of north-eastern Zaire and has been moving around exploring the locality.  

Having skipped into the Republic of Congo on the 18 October, PJ was in the south of the country by the eve of 24 October. Just a few days later on the 27 he had covered a further 495km (310 miles) to reach northern Angola.  He continued on, almost directly south, and by the 2 November was just south of the Cuanza River and the town of Donde.  He joins Larry, 161324 and Bill who are all also in Angola. 

Having spent almost a month in Cameroon, 161324 has moved south, a long way south. Locations received from his tag on 26 October showed that he was in northern Angola just to the south of Cumbo and 1,143km (710 miles) south of his location in Cameroon. He may well spend the winter here.

On the 19 October, Markoo was still in Nigeria but over the last week or so he has moved south. By the 20 October he was in Cameroon, by the 22 he was transmitting from eastern Gabon and on 24 October signals were received from the Republic of Congo, just south of Kelle.  He is now in the Congo rainforest and we will have to wait to see whether he stays here or moves further south still. We currently have three Cuckoos in Angola, 700km (435 miles) sosuth of Markoo's location.

By the 25 October Bill had left his last location in Nigeria and was on the move, heading in a south-easterly direction and passing to the east of Onitsha. Signals on the 26 revealed he had continued onwards, leaving Nigeria, and had made it all the way to Gabon. He is now to the south of Lvindo National Park. Since leaving Nigeria, Bill has flown 1,000km (622 miles) to reach his current location. It is likely that he will move a little further south yet.

Sadly it looks like our last Cuckoo to make his crossing may have left it too late and we think Jack may have died. Recent locations show him in the same place as on 9 October. Looking more closely at the last signals received it seems that Jack actually stopped 200km NW of his final (current) location, for a day at least, before moving on.

The movement that might have ended abruptly was actually an onward movement after his first post-desert stop. If he has died, it's a good illustration of the cost of leaving the desert crossing so late - 2 months ago the area would have been very good for him, teeming with insects. But now it is drying out, as evidenced by the other cuckoos all having moved south.

From Nigeria, PJ has continued onwards, heading south to reach a location in Cameroon, some 560km(350 miles) away by lunchtime on 13 October.  Forty eight hours late and he was 400km ( 250 miles) further to the south-east and near to both Nki and Boumba National Parks. 

From Central African Republic, David has travelled south, moving to the Democratic Republic of Congo by 14 October. He is in the Parc National de la Salonga-Nord, an area he has visited in previous years.