Updates from our Cuckoos

Chris is once again in Congo in the swamp forests in which he has spent previous winters. He made the journey over the 15 and 16 October to reach the Central African Republic, continuing on to Congo and reaching his current location, close to the Site Lac Tele- Likouala Aux Herbes, on 18 October.  Last year, he left the area at the beginning of December, having only spent one month there, and travelled even further south to reach Angola, where Skinner also spent the winter. Skinner has recently returned to Angola this year and we will have to wait and see whether Chris stays in the swamp forests or once again moves further south to join him. 

By the 12 October Skinner had moved south to Congo and by the 17 he was in Angola, close to the area he spent last winter. He is slightly further east than last year and is just north of the Reserva Especial do Milando. It waits to be seen whether Chris or any of the other Cuckoos will join him here this year.

Stanley has left the Congo and skipped over the border into the swamp forest within the Democratic Republic of Congo’ s Tumba Lediima Natural Reserve. 

In the last few days, Chester has moved 445km (275 miles) south from his location in the north of Burkina Faso and he is now in Ivory Coast. He is still very far west of all the other Cuckoos so it is perhaps a little surprising that he has chosen to move south rather than east. He has, however, moved to Comoé National Park , a World Heritage Site due to the diversity of plant life present around the Comoé River including pristine patches of tropical rain forest that are usually only found further south. 

Having been in Central African Republic until 4 October, by the 6 Ash was 340 km (210 miles) further south in the north-east of Democratic Republic of Congo. He is now just 40km (25 miles) to the east of Dudley's location.  

From Chad, Hennah appears to have moved south to Central African Republic by early on the morning of the 1 October. Several poor quality locations were received which aren't shown on the map. Since then he has travelled 990km (615 miles) further to Democratic Republic of Congo, south of the equator, and is one of the most southerly Cuckoos. Hopefully good quality signals will be received shortly to show this new location on the maps. 

Since the 28 September Waller has been moving south, reaching Central African Republic by 29 September and continuing on to the Democratic Republic of Congo by the 1 October. He has travelled 1170km (725 miles) since 28  September and has now joined other Cuckoos in the Congo rainforest.

Both Sherwood birds 134957 and 134955 have moved over 700km (470 miles) east from their locations in Burkina Faso in the last few days and are now in northern Nigeria. This leaves just Chester in Burkina Faso who becomes our most westerly bird by over 960km (595 miles). 

Skinner has travelled 925km (575 miles) from his location in north-western Nigeria and is now in western Cameroon. Other Cuckoos who had been in the north of Cameroon have all moved on due to poor conditions so it will be interesting to see whether conditions are better in the south-west and how long Skinner remains here for. 

Signals received on 22 September show that Livingstone was moving south and was in Central African Republic. He continued moving throughout the night and into the 23 September to reach the southern most tip of Cameroon where the Northwest Congolian Lowland Forest meets areas of the Congolian Swamp Forest, 820km (510 miles) from his previous location in Chad. By the 25 September he had covered a further 475km (290 miles) and was in central Congo.