Cuckoo updates

Cuckoo updates

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. If you enjoy these updates, please consider sponsoring a Cuckoo. Sponsors receive special updates about their chosen Cuckoo in the Cuckoo e-newsletter.

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.

Lyster still to complete desert crossing

07 Aug 2012

A series of locations spanning the period from the early hours to mid-morning yesterday (Monday 6 July) all placed Lyster in the desert of southern Mauritania. He did not appear to move significantly during this but had progressed 570km (353 miles) SSW from his previous position late on 3 August. We would have expected Lyster to be continuing his migration during the hours of darkness, rather than stopping here, as this location is still a fair way into the desert and there does not appear to be much vegetation in the area. The temperature of his tag did not indicate any cause for concern but we should have more information tomorrow (Wednesday) about how Lyster is faring and whether he has completed the last leg of the desert crossing.

Iolo reaches Africa

07 Aug 2012

Iolo has become the fifth of our Cuckoos to make it to Africa! From his unconfirmed position near Selvena on the 3 August he has travelled 1,600 km (995 miles) SSE, flying over the Mediterannean Sea to Libya. According to unconfirmed locations he appeared to make landfall mid-morning on Sunday 5 August, east of Tripoli. He then continued on this heading for another 308km (191 miles) during the day and the last location received shows him in the district of Al Jafrah, central Libya. We expect he will continue to press on in a more or less continuous desert crossing from here.

Iolo moves south

03 Aug 2012

After a period of silence from Iolo, locations received on the morning of 3 August show that he moved around 320km (200 miles) in a southerly direction from his position near Milan. The map shows a location just off the coast but unconfirmed locations show that he made landfall near Talmone, just south of this earlier location, and a further signal indicates he then went inland and north-east around 50km (30 miles). He is close to Selvena, a small hill-town in southern Tuscany, Italy.