Updates from our Cuckoos

We suspect that Wallace’s tag has failed. We have received no further signals since 14 September when the charge of his tag was very low - it had been progressively charging to lower levels over several previous cycles. We now do not think the tag will be able to power on again and let us know Wallace’s whereabouts. There is no indication that Wallace has perished as the tag’s temperature remained normal. 

Lloyd has moved a small distance of 34km (21 miles) from his previous location and closer to the Chaine des Mongos mountain range. 

David’s tag transmitted on Sunday 23 October and indicates that he is still in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Looking at the map from last year’s birds, he is in an area much further east than any of the tagged English Cuckoos ventured. David is also almost as far south as the most southerly point received from the first year of Cuckoo tracking, this being from Kasper who was north-west of Kinshasa in Congo.

Lloyd has continued onwards, heading south-west 94 km (58 miles) and crossing the border of South Sudan into the Haute-Kotto area of Central African Republic (CAR). He is around 48 km (30 miles) within the border of CAR, just outside the Chaine des Mongos Mountain region, over which he will have flown in the last few days. 

There have been no further tranmissions from Indy since 21 September. Looking back at the temperature data of his final transmissions it indicates his body heat had dropped right down and we are now assuming that he has died in Cameroon. Mike McCarthy of The Independent talks about Indy's incredible journey in his latest article. 

Chris’s last transmission was on 14 October. He is still close to the  Likouala aux Herbes, the same area of Congo that he has been in since 28 September.

BB’s tag transmitted locations over the weekend showing that he remained in Chad.  Meanwhile, we have not received any further transmissions from Roy's tag since the 6 October. Whilst we had no cause for concern for Wallace when his tag last transmitted on the 14 September, the longer the silence continues, the more we wonder why.

Chance was the most northerly of all the Cuckoos from which we are still receiving regular transmissions. However, movements early this morning show that he has moved from his location north of Lake Chad and travelled south into Cameroon.  He covered around 686km (426 miles) south to a location close to the edge of the Mbang Mountain region before moving 80km (50 miles) back north, presumably in search of better conditions. 

On the afternoon of 13 October Lloyd was still in the Janub Dafar area of Sudan.  Two days later, on the eve of 15 October, Lloyd had covered a distance of around 299km (186 miles) in a southerly direction and was in South Sudan, close to the border with Central African Republic. 

Over the weekend we received transmissions from David's tag who is still settled in Democratic Republic of Congo. There has been nothing further from Indy since 21 September.