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Updates from our Cuckoos

Read the latest updates from our Cuckoos on their epic migration between the UK and tropical Africa, or track their movements in real-time on our Cuckoo migration map.

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Emsworthy also in France

18 Jun 2014
At 21.15 on the 16 June, Emsworthy was still on Dartmoor but by 22.00 he was on the south Devon coast at Prawle Point, having covered 41km (25 miles) in 45 minutes.
 
In the early hours of 17 June he popped up in France,  in Brittany, north west of Pontivy, 240km (150 miles) south-east of the Devon coast. He continued on and by lunchtime on 18 June he was 70km (45 miles) north of Bordeaux.  

Gilbert leaves UK

18 Jun 2014

Gilbert was still in the UK on 14 June but by the 16 June ha had travelled  285km (180 miles) almost directly south and was to the west of Rennes in Brittany, France. he continued on during the evening and early hours of 17 June and the next transmissions reveal he was on the Oléron Island in westen France. 

Livingstone second out of the blocks

18 Jun 2014
On 12 June, Livingstone was still in the area north east of Kyle of Lochalsh but by midday on 14 June he was on his way and just northwest of Newtown, North Wales. He didn’t hang around though and in the early hours of the 15 June he was just south of Monkwood in west Dorset, and just 7km (4 miles) from the Channel coast.
 
We next heard from him during the early morning of 16 June. He had crossed the Channel and was in Brittany and by the morning of the 17 June had moved in to Loire Atlantique, and was close to Vay, 119km (74 miles) south of the Channel coast. He is the second of our tagged
Cuckoos to leave the UK!

Peter in Italy

18 Jun 2014
On the evening of 5 June, Peter had left the New Forest and was on the Isle of Wight and during the early hours of the 6 June he was on his way, at 02.07 he was mid-Channel.
We next heard from him during the early morning of the 8 June, 200km (130 miles) from the Channel coast and a few kilometres east of Chartres.
 
Since arriving in France he hasn’t hung around. In the early hours of 15 June he was 35km (22 miles) from the Mediterranean coast, just north-east of Montpellier. Having made it to the Mediterranean coast he then headed east and on the morning of 17 June was close to the Po Valley in north eastern Italy. We know that this is a staging area for some of our Cuckoos as they prepare for the crossing of the Sahara, so it will be interesting to see how long Peter remains here. Being the first of our Cuckoos to arrive here, he could also be the first to cross the desert.
 

Sad news

12 Jun 2014
Unfortunately we have lost two of the newly tagged birds. Both Wistman, from Devon, and 134962, from the New Forest, appear to have died recently according to the temperature readings that accompany the transmissions. We cannot be sure of the reasons but one possibility is predation. 
 
Last year Karma, one of the birds tagged in western Scotland, who was the first that year to leave his breeding area, travelled to the east coast of Scotland and died there, making it only as far as Aberdeen. We wish our other Cuckoos this year better success.  

First Cuckoo leaves the UK!

10 Jun 2014

It's only early June but our first Cuckoo has already left to start the journey to their wintering grounds! Recently named Peter, one of our New Forest Cuckoos tagged this year, had made it to northern France by the 8 June. This is early for our Cuckoos but by no means the earliest. In previous years Cuckoos have left as early as 3 June. Who will be next to follow?    

Stanley last of Thetford finds for 2014

31 May 2014

Stanley was the last of three birds to be tagged in the Thetford area in 2014. On a misty morning near Cranwich Heath, Stanley hurled itself at our dummy female Cuckoo and into the net from a great distance, despite the nets being highlighted by the mist.

Walpole found in Chris' haunt

23 May 2014

Walpole was caught and tagged less than 1km north of where Chris the Cuckoo was originally found, three years before.

Maji tagged in Elveden Forest

21 May 2014

BTO's Cuckoo tagging team were accompanied by Anglian Water's Mike Drew to catch and tag Maji - who despite bright skies, and other birds avoid the nets, managed to fly in twice before before being caught.

The New Forest four

27 May 2014

Bolderwood, New Forest, Hampshire -  Six Cuckoos caught between 04:30am and 11:00am - the first three of which (two tagged, one too small) were in the first round, one in the middle of each of a triangle of nets set at Bolderwood. The other three were caught a couple of miles to the north and four were selected for tagging. This meant we completed our tagging in Hampshire during day, in a brief weather-window.

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