Updates from our Cuckoos

Ken is still in the same area in Gabon, on the edge of the Téké plateau, that he has frequented since the 25 October. His tag last transmitted from there on 13 January.

Chris is still at his mid-winter location in Angola and, as a consequence of Skinner’s move north, is now our most southerly Cuckoo. We last heard from Chris at 09.30 on 13 January.

Derek has started to move north. At 08.30 on 14 January he had moved 120km (74 miles) north-east from his mid-winter location. He is now just 9km (6 miles) from Scottish Cuckoo Waller.

By the 28 December, Skinner had travelled a short distance south but stayed in that location only briefly, heading north-west 130km (80 miles) towards the coast, and by 30 December was in Quiçama National Park. Due to war and poaching much of the wildlife, including the Elephant population, in this park was decimated but a rehabilitation programme during 2000 and 2001 saw two successful relocations of elephant from over populated parks in Botswana. 

The next signals received were on 6 January and revealed he had again moved on, 110km (65km) north. His new location means that he is now just 65km (40 miles) west of Chris, another of our East Anglian Cuckoos.  

Since the 23 December, Livingstone has moved 400km (250 miles), transmitting from the Woleu-Ntem region of Gabon on 30 December. He is now in a location further west than any of the other tagged Cuckoos. 

On the 24 December, locations show that Whortle had moved 90km (55 miles) north-east from his previous location near Lake Mai.

Patch stayed in his location near the lake until the 26 December but also moved away, in a north-westerly direction, of around 75km (47 miles). This movement took him close to the area which Waller had recently departed as he journeyed back to Congo. Will Patch follow Waller and move even further north?

Poor quality signals received from Waller's tag show that he remained in the area near the lake until at least the 21 December but by the evening of the 27 December he had travelled 240km (150 miles) north-west, leaving the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is now in Congo, just south of the edge of the Likouala Aux Herbes National Park, in which Chris has previously wintered in. Signals in the early morning of 30 December show that Waller he is still in the area.

Whortle and Patch have also both moved small distances from the lake, although in different directions.    

David, Patch, Waller and Whortle are all still in the Democratic Republic of Congo and all the tags have transmitted within the last few weeks. Patch and Waller are still close to the shores of Lake Mai while Whortle is a little further north,  

David, our one remaining Welsh tagged Cuckoo, has gone the longest without transmitting, with the last signal received just over a week ago on 16 December. This year David is a little ahead of schedule, having spent Christmas further north in the swamp forests in 2012 and moving a few days after to the area he is now in, just north of the Salonga National Park and close to a tributary of the Congo River. 

Chris and Skinner look set to spend Christmas in Angola, having spent several weeks in the area. Skinner first transmitted from Angola on 18 November, while Chris joined him at the beginning of December. 

Angola is a new country for the project, visited by the Cuckoos for the first time this year. In the past two years of the project, Chris has spent Christmas in the Congolian swamp forests but has opted for a change this year. We aren't entirely sure why, but it is likely conditions weren't as good this year, as other Cuckoos using this area have also moved away.

When we first started the tracking project it was estimated that the satellite-tags fitted to the Cuckoos would last for between 2-3 years. So far we have 2.5 years of data for Chris on his migration and, fingers crossed, we are really hoping to complete a third year to see whether this different wintering location has any affect on his return migration to the UK.   It will also be interesting to see whether Angola is a place that Skinner may return to, as this is the first year we have tracked his migration and so do not have data to indicate this may be different from previous years.