Updates from our Cuckoos

Waller has become the first of our tagged Cuckoos to move to West Africa!  The last signal placing him in Cameroon was received on 20 February and by the 27 February he had travelled a huge 1445km (900 miles), flying over Nigeria, Benin and Togo to reach Ghana. The latest signals reveal he is in eastern Ghana, 85km (52 miles) north of the northern edge of Lake Volta. 

This is the first return migration that we have followed for Scottish Cuckoo Waller but it's interesting to note that last year the first Cuckoo to move west was Chance, another of our Scottish Cuckoos. He also spent a few weeks in Cameroon before moving to Lake Volta in Ghana around the 25 February - very similar timing to Waller!  This timing does raise fresh concern that something has happened to either Chance, or his tag, as we have not received signals since 4 December and, given his timings last year, he should be on the move. 

Sometime between the early hours of 24 February and lunchtime on the 26 February, BB made another move north, leaving Gabon behind. During that time he covered 390km (240 miles) to reach  the Mbam et Djerem National Park in central Cameroon.  From the satellite images you can see he is now out of the thick cover of the Congo rainforest and in the edge of some forest, where the tree coverage thins out. 

Derek has travelled a small distance south-east from his last position. The most recent signal, received on 21 February, shows he is currently  near a tributary of the Congo river, close to Site Lac Tele-Likouala Aux Herbes.  Now that Chris has moved north, Derek is the most southerly Cuckoo.  Will he also move north shortly? 

David has travelled only a small distance since he made the jump across the Congo rainforest block at the end of January. Having been in the location for 25 days now we expect that he has been feeding up and resting, ready to make the next move west along the edge of the forest. By this time last year he was 400km (250 miles) further west,  he then continued to move west over the next month and in late March, made a big move to Ghana. Will he do the same this year? If so we might expect a further westerly movement any time.  

On the afternoon of the 20 February, Chris's tag sent tranmissions from southern Congo but, by early morning on 25 February, he had travelled 930km (580 miles) to reach a location in the  south-west of the Central African Republic. He has now flown right over the block of Congo rainforest, and is very close to it's northern edge. Its the first time we have seen him do this, largely because in previous winters he hasn't travelled so far south, instead choosing the swamp forests of eastern Congo.  He is just 80km (50 miles) south of David, the most northerly tagged Cuckoo, who moved to the edge of the forest at the very end of January. 

It's amazing that we are still gathering data for Chris having first tagged him in spring 2011. We now have three southward autumn migrations and two northward spring migrations for him.  Having taken up a different wintering location this year, it will be really interesting to see whether this changes his return strategy. We are keeping our fingers crossed for his safe return once again to the UK.  

Patch has also moved out of Congo, leaving his position near the two national parks, and is currently in south-east Cameroon, 260km (160 miles) further north, close to the edge of the Boumba Bek National Park.

Whortle has continued north and has left Congo. He is now 645km (401 miles) north-west of Lake Mai and is currently in south-east Cameroon, in the Nki National Park. 

Waller is still in the location in Cameroon , where he has been since early February. We last heard from him around lunch-time on 20 February. He is currently still one of the most northerly Cuckoos, along with David and Chris, who has recently moved north. 

BB has left Congo and as of 24 February was in north-east Gabon, having flown 345km (215 miles) north-west of his last location in Congo. He is now in the north of the Minkébé National Park.

In mid-winter Skinner was our most southerly Cuckoo. He was then the first to make his move north, becoming the most northerly Cuckoo, for a short time. He is now, once again, one of our most southerly Cuckoos (only Derek is further south). Having arrived in Cameroon on 13 January, he has since turned back south and is now back in Gabon, on the outskirts of the Minkébé National Park,  276km (171 miles) south east of his previous location. Clearly, something was not quite to his liking in southern Cameroon.