Cuach Cores has been feeding and resting up in the foothills of the Italian Alps for a good couple of weeks and is hopefully in fine shape for his next major leg of the migration journey.  

He has now made his way to the coast, and was just west of Genoa when we received his latest signal around 10am this morning. This is our third summer following Cores since he was tagged in Ireland in June 2023. 

In the last week, Joe has finally left his resting place on the French coast and headed south with gusto, covering some 4,000 km (2,485 miles).

He first headed past Sardinia, and arrived on the Algerian coast near the port city of Annaba before heading down through Tunisia, passing through the Jebil National Park. He then followed the Libyan border down into Niger and then swung south-east into Chad where he is now on the banks of the Chari River, and just 90 km (56 miles) from his Cuckoo cohort Ashok!

As predicted, Sayaan has sprung into action following his lengthy annual break in central Italy. He headed south-east via Naples and skirted across the southern tip of the Italian mainland before crossing approximately 765 km (475 miles) of Mediterranean Sea before coming ashore in north-east Libya. 

From here he flew on across the Sahara, before arriving in a lush region of eastern Chad, close to the borders with Sudan and Central African Republic. 

After a spell in southern Mali, Wingston has now moved 520 km (323 miles) east through Burkina Faso and into south-west Niger. 

His latest signal, received yesterday evening, reveals that he is close to the capital Niamey, not far from the northern border of Benin and the north-west border of Nigeria.

Seemingly one to take his time, Norman is still in Italy. In the past couple of days, he has moved a short way from the peaks of the Alps down into the green agricultural lowlands around Turin, close to the Po River. 

When will he tackle the crossing into North Africa – and which route will he take? 

Last week, we posted that Wingston had left the European mainland and was winging his way toward North Africa. 

He arrived on the Algerian coast, just west of the capital Algiers, before heading south across the Sahara desert. He then crossed Mali and just after 10pm last night he was close the border of Burkina Faso, just north of the Sahel Reserve, a protected area covering 16,000 km2  (9,941 sq mi). In the last five days, he has covered well over 2,500 km (1,553 miles). 

Having spent almost three weeks in the hills above Montpellier, Jim followed fellow-Cuckoo Wingston and headed south along a remarkably similar flightpath. Having crossed the Mediterranean, he arrived in Algeria close to the coastal town of Ténès and proceeded south with determination. 

He crossed the border into Mali, and our last signal shows him to be around 150 km (93 miles) south of the ancient city of Timbuktu, close to Lake Korarou. 

In the last few days, Wilfrid has forged on through Western Sahara, followed the Atlantic coast south through Mauritania and is currently heading inland into eastern Senegal.  

This time last year he was still in Spain, so he is well ahead of where he was on this date in 2024. Will he head to Angola to spend the winter months again?

When we last checked in with Arthur five days ago, he was making substantial progress though Morocco. He is now in north-east Senegal, following the mighty Senegal River along the south-west Mauritanian border. 

With rain and thunderstorms currently moving through this region, it may provide welcome relief after a lengthy desert crossing!

Scottish-tagged Cuckoo Norman, having left France, has headed east into the Italian Alps. His latest signal shows that he is high up in the Gran Paradiso National Park, home to Ibex, Chamois, Golden Eagle, Lammergeier and Wallcreeper.

Will he spend time feeding and resting along the River Po before continuing his journey, or will he crack on and make a swift move south? Watch this space!