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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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No news from Lyster

15 Aug 2012

Lyster’s tag failed to transmit on the next 'on' period so we have received no further information about whether he has successfully completed his desert crossing or whether he remains in the desert.  This is a little worrying but, we have gone for long periods without receiving transmissions previously. 

Little movement from John, Reacher and Chris

15 Aug 2012

We haven’t received any further signals from Reacher since the unconfirmed locations on 26 July placing him near Malaga. Meanwhile, John has remained in France, but has moved slightly north-east of his last position. He is now close to the town of Garein. Chris continues to transmit from the area north of Lake Chad.

Idemili flies in style to Italy

15 Aug 2012
Now that Idemili has put on weight and regrown her feathers she is ready to set off but, having fallen so far behind the other Cuckoos, she is getting a helping hand, or rather wing, thanks to British Airways! On Tuesday, WAF's vet nurse Lucy Kells, and Idemili were flown in style to Turin in the cabin of a 747. 
 
Once in Italy, Idemili will be released in the same area where two of the tagged male Cuckoos are also preparing for their long journey south. Idemili will make her southward migration to Africa without her tag so, once she has been released, there will be no further updates posted on her blog. We wish her well on her migration, and who knows, maybe someone will report her ring number in years to come? 
 

John moves north

06 Aug 2012

John has actually moved northwards 60km (40 miles) from the Bayonne area and is between Castets and Rion-des-landes. He appears to have been moving around this area, perhaps trying to find some areas with plenty of food to help him fatten up before the next leg of the journey?

Roy is second Cuckoo in Montenegro

13 Aug 2012

From his unconfirmed location in Croatia on 8 August, Roy travelled south, joining David in Montenegro, on the evening of 10 August. Since then he has been travelling around the municpality of Danilovgrad, presumably searching for a good source of food.

Chance arrives in Africa

15 Aug 2012
From his unconfirmed postion in Austria, Chance has made his move to Africa! On the 10 August another unconfirmed location showed him in the very north of Niger, just south of the border with Libya, 2710km (1,685miles) away and almost smack bang in the middle of the Sahara Desert.  
 
The next series of locations show that he had carried on south another 1,142 km (710 miles) towards Nigeria. He stopped just short of the border, instead turning east 380 km (240 miles) towards Lake Chad and over north-eastern Nigeria from this direction. By early morning on 13 August he was around 130 km (80 miles) west of Lake Chad and around 220km (138 miles) southwest from Chris.
 
A further unconfirmed transmission from Chance's tag yesterday morning (15 August) shows he carried on into Chad. We received a signal placing him 45km (29 miles) from the Lake and 87km (54miles) from Chris.
 

Lyster yet to move on

09 Aug 2012

We received several locations for Lyster yesterday (8 August) and all show him in the same part of the desert in Mauritania that he was resident in overnight 5/6 August. The fact that he remains in what appears to be a very barren part of the desert is certainly worrying but the best quality locations received on the morning of 6 August and afternoon of 8 August show that he is definitely moving around the area. Perhaps he has found a surprisingly good food source in the very sparse vegetation in the area? Or perhaps he is too weak to move on? When his tag resumes transmissions tomorrow evening (10 August) we should have a better idea of what is going on with Lyster.

Roy moves east

09 Aug 2012

From Austria to Italy and then back to Austria! Having been briefly in Italy, Roy moved back into Austria by 1 August and was again a few kms north of Millstätter See. Yesterday evening we received a single unconfirmed location that put Roy in Croatia. If confirmed, it would appear that he is following David and, presumably, BB by taking a route east of the Adriatic Sea. 

Chance moves to Austria

07 Aug 2012

On 31 July Chance was still at his location south of Berlin but by Sunday 5 August unconfirmed signals (which won't update on the map) suggest he had moved to a new location 557km (346 miles) to the SE in Austria. This places him in hill-country with extensive forest patches 36km (22 miles) north of Graz. Given the amount of time he spent near Berlin, Chance may not spend too much time preparing for onward migration here.

Wallace still in Germany

07 Aug 2012

Wallace is still in south-western Germany but by the morning of Friday 3 August he had moved approximately 95km (63 miles) ENE to a similar forested landscape.

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