Updates from our Cuckoos

Hennah's tag battery is damaged and appears to be failing - consequently we have not received a good quality location from it recently although poor quality locations showed him in France on 16 June and heading south to Italy a few days ago. 

We haven't received signals from Livingstones's tag since March and do not know whether he failed to return to the UK this year or whether his tag has stopped working. Everything was well according to the last signal received but it is unlikely that we will receive any further information about his journey now so he is being moved to inactive. 

Nine Cuckoos (plus Hennah whose tag has still not sent a good quality location) have now left the UK and seven of these (plus Hennah) are currently in France. The most recent three to have transmitted from France are new Welsh Cuckoo 146760, and Sherwood Cuckoos Jake and Dudley. Jake is currently in Burgundy, while 146760 is further south in the Auvergne region and Dudley is even further south in Toulouse.

It's interesting to note that Dudley left about a week later this year compared to 2014 while Jake left two weeks earlier.

Two of the three Cuckoos tagged in the North Yorkshire Moors have left the country. 146756's tag sent low quality transmissions which indicated he was crossing the Channel on 22 June and by 24 June he had travelled 965km (600 miles) to Italy and was west of Venice.  

Vigilamus hadn't made it quite as far and was in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France by 24 June, 620km (390 miles) from his last location in Yorkshire. He appears to be travelling further south again today so he may soon have made it as far as 146756. 

From Italy, Ash has headed north-east  295km (180 miles) and ticked a new country for our tagged Cuckoos, by stopping in Slovenia. Over the years some of our Cuckoos have gone as far east as this, visiting Slovakia, Austira and and Montenegro, but normally they have come down through Germany rather than through Italy. It will be interesting to see where he heads next! 

By the evening of the 22 June Ash had travelled 280km (175 miles) north-east within Italy to a location close to Bologna.  

Ash has continued south from northern France. By 20 June he had covered 380km (240 miles) and was east of Lyon and by the morning of the 21 June he was 285km (177 miles) further on his journey and was just inside Italy, to the north-west of San Remo, making him our most southerly Cuckoo.  

On the 18 June Stanley had left his breeding grounds and headed south to Rayleigh in Essex. Just 2 days later he had crossed the Channel and was 775km (480 miles) further south in southern France. 

Our newest recruit tagged in Sherwood Forest, 146761,  has left the UK and travelled to France.  On the 17 June he transmitted from the Picardie region and later, on the 18 June, from the Auvergne region 335km (210 miles) further south.