Updates from our Cuckoos

Roy has left Wallace behind in Scotland, and followed the same route as Mungo before him to arrive in the North York Moors National Park.

On 1 July, Roy's satellite tag was transmitting from 10km south of Dumfries. By the evening of 3 July we received data from the North York Moors National Park – this is a movement of 180km (110 miles) in a south-easterly direction. This is the second of our Scottish Cuckoos to arrive in this area and, like Mungo before him, Roy should find plenty of large hairy caterpillars here in the rough grassland adjacent to the heather moorland. Will he continue to follow the same migratory route as Mungo, who is currently in Switzerland?

Indy was in the Pircadie region on 20 June and has slowly made his way south before heading east to Italy.

On the 22 June he had moved to the Champagne-Ardenne region and was 16km (10 miles) south of Reims. Transmitting on the 25 June he had continued on another 244km (151 miles) to the region of Burgundy. Indy then settled for several days in an area 30 miles north of Lyon, in the Rhone-Alpes region, 70km south-west of the southern most tip of Lake Geneva, before heading in a south-easterly direction 308km (191 miles) in to the Piedmont region of Italy. He is 14 km (9 miles) from Alessandria.

Reacher didn't stay in Italy as long as we thought he might. Just 2 days after arriving he had moved off and was transmitting off the coast of France near Toulon, 300km (188 miles) further south and west. He then headed 265km further west (160 miles) across the sea to reach the eastern most corner of southern France, resting around 12km (10 miles) from Perpignan.

The last transmission we received from BB's tag on the 30 June shows that he has moved around 85km (52 miles) in a south-easterly direction from his position in Germany. He is now close to the border between Germany and the Czech Republic and currently appears to be just inside the Czech border near Hranicná.

Iolo was lagging behind David, his fellow Welsh Cuckoo. However he has now completed a huge leg of his migratory journey, arriving in northern Italy. Data received from his tag on the 25 confirmed that he was in the Netherlands, however his next transmission on the 27 showed a location just south of Milan. This is the same area that Chris spent 3 weeks in April 2012 on his return journey.

David continues to set precedents for our satellite-tagged Cuckoos. He was the first Cuckoo tracked to Slovakia and now is the first to transmit from Montenegro. We received data on the 25 June confirming his location in Slovakia, and the next transmission, received yesterday on the 27, came from Montenegro. That's a journey of 700km (440 miles), taking David very close to the Adriatic Sea. Will he cross the sea and stage in Italy?

115602 finally has a name and will now be known as Chance. He has been named after Edgar Chance,  a British ornithologist noted for his pioneering studies on the breeding behaviour of the Common Cuckoo.

Lyster remains in Norfolk and, with 115589's recent movement across the sea to Europe, is the last of our English Cuckoos still in England. Will he be the last to leave again this year? There are still two Scottish birds who also remain in the UK.

Transmissions received on the 24 June indicated that 115589 was crossing the North Sea and a weak signal yesterday gave a position in Belgium. This morning another signal provided evidence that he had travelled across Belgium and south into France. He currently appears to be around 130km (80 miles) from Reims, in the north of France.

Both Wallace and Roy remain in Scotland whilst the three other Scottish birds are currently in Europe. Transmissions received yesterday indicated that Wallace was heading southwards. He moved 30km (20 miles) from his position between Irvine and Troon and was close to the village of Patna. From here he headed off in a south-easterly direction, flying 110km (70miles) before transmitting from Canonbie. He is very close to the Scottish-English border.