Updates from our Cuckoos

Cameron has begun his desert crossing. A series of locations received from his tag during the evening of 10 July show that he is about a third of the way into the desert and close to the Libyan border. The winds in this part of the desert are currently light and from the northeast, which should help him on his way. 

Thomas didn't stay long in northern Spain, two days in fact, before heading off south. During the evening of 9 July his tag told us he was in southeast Spain just to the east of Granada. It will be interesting to see how long he stays here before launching his Sahara desert crossing.

Carlton II is in northwest Spain. During the early hours of 9 July his tag gave his location to the southwest of Leon. Since leaving Carlton Marshes in Suffolk he has flown 1,266km (787 miles) and is about a fifth of the way through his journey.

Over the weekend, Victor's tag showed that he was in Algeria and on the northern edge of the Sahara, but around breakfast on 9 July, three poor locations from his tag suggest he has already begun his desert crossing and that he was to the south of the Grand Erg Oriental Desert. This puts him around a third of the way into his desert flight. 

Having spent time in southeastern France, it was open to debate which route Thomas might take as both Sapin and Italy were options from there. There is no doubt now though. He is currently in Catalonia, in the wooded hills just to the north of Barcelona

PJ is in Spain - just. Around breakfast on 7 July locations from his tag showed he was in the Spanish Pyrenees, just to the north of Benasque. On his two previous migrations he launched his desert crossing from his stopover site in France, so it is interesting to see him crossing into Spain. It will also be interesting to see what he does next.

We received a series of locations during the early hours of 9 July that suggest Bowie is in Algeria, North Africa. However, they don't stop there and it seems that he might have set out on his desert crossing. If this is the case, we will know more in a couple of days, it will see him cross the Sahara at its widest point, a journey of around 2,500km (1,500 miles).

A series of locations received around breakfast on 5 July show that Victor is in Spain, the map will show this when it automatically updates. He has flown 620km (385 miles) in just over two days. He is currently south of Fayon and the Ebro River.

Robinson is now in northern Italy, a known stopover site for many of our Cuckoos. This is where they prepare for the crossing of the Sahara; for some the feeding is so good they are able to fly from here all the way non-stop to the southern edge of the desert, a distance of over 3,000km (2,000 miles). Robinson is likely to spend a little while here now.

It seems that the area of farmland that PJ was using might not be giving him what he needs and he has moved back north 56km (35 miles) to the Orient Forest Regional Natural Park just to the east of Troyes.

The children of The Green Zone Bird Club at Sandown School in Kent have been following PJ’s progress closely. One of the children at the school, Che, won a Cuckoo sponsorship in the school fair and decided to share it with his fellow pupils. ‘Where in the world is PJ?’ has been a regular activity where the children learn about geography and migration. One member of the Group, Callum (age 6), has taught everyone how to zoom in and out on PJ’s position on the satellite tracking map – well done, Callum!  

They have all been drawing amazing pictures of PJ to welcome him back to the UK (featured). We have really enjoyed looking at their brilliant drawings in the office and reading the Green Zone Bird Club’s newsletters. Well done to all the children in the Club and to their Outdoor Learning and Forest School Leader, Anne Collins, for all of her hard work and enthusiasm. Keep up the good work children and we hope you continue following PJ's journey as he migrates back to Africa.