Updates from our Cuckoos

Since our last update PJ has flown a further 890 km (552 Miles) north from his last location in Gabon to his current location in Cameroon. He is now in an area of Guinean Savanna, near the Meng river in the south of the Adamawa region of Cameroon. He was in this same area between 3rd and 25th February 2020. In 2020 his next movement took him to Togo on his way to Ivory Coast. Over the next couple of weeks we expect PJ to cover the 2,000km (1,240 miles) journey west to Ivory Coast where he usually stops off to build up his fat reserves ready for crossing the Sahara.

Over the last few weeks PJ has flown 640 km (398 miles) north from north-western Angola, first to the Teke Plateau in Congo and, soon after, over the border into eastern Gabon. In previous years PJ has remained in Angola until late January before beginning his northward migration so he is right on track. He has usually reached Ivory Coast in west Africa by early March so we expect him to keep moving north and then west over the next 2-3 weeks. He will then stop over for a few weeks before tackling the Sahara.

Over the last couple of weeks, PJ has gradually moved 167 km (104 miles) north into the Zaire district of north-western Angola. He is now in dense rainforest 56 km (35 miles) N-NE of the town of N'Zeto. In previous years PJ has remained in Angola until late January.  

Updates received from Carlton II late on Sunday evening showed that he had finally left Nigeria and flown 1,157 km (720 miles) south east over Cameroon and into Gabon. He is now in dense rainforest in central Gabon and just 128 km (80 miles) west of PJ. 

Having flown a further 215 km (133 miles) west in northern Angola, Valentine is now very close to his 2019 wintering grounds. He is 210 km (130 miles) north east of the capital Luanda.

After a visit to the shores of the Rio del Rey estuary in western Cameroon, new signals from PJ's tag show that by yesterday evening he had flown 725 km (450 miles) south east into eastern Gabon. In previous years he has wintered in northern Angola and if this is his destination this year, he has a further 970 km (600 miles) to go before he reaches this area.  

Further updates received late yesterday afternoon and evening show that PJ has flown 653 km (406 miles) south east from his last location in Nigeria, over the border into Cameroon. He is now approximately 19 km (12 miles) west of the town of Tibati which is on the shore of Lake Mbakaou in central Cameroon. 

Carlton II crossed into Nigeria on October 19 and has since made progress east into central Nigeria. He is currently 45 km (28 miles) east of the capital Abuja. In previous years Carlton II has spent the winter in central Gabon so if this is his intended destination this year he has a further 1,150 km (714 miles) to fly.

Having spent almost two months in southern Niger, it is good to see PJ on the move again. Over the past few days he has flown 622 km (387 miles) south into Nigeria. He is now 50 km (30 miles) west of the capital Abuja and only 93 km (58 miles) west of Carlton II who is east of Abuja. We expect PJ to follow a similar route south to Valentine, passing through or over Cameroon and on to his wintering grounds in northern Angola. His wintering areas in previous years have been to the east of Valentine's, nearer the coastal city of Luanda.

Valentine has passed through Cameroon, Congo and Democratic Republic of the Congo, and is now in northern Angola. He is only 130 km (80 miles) north of his wintering location in 2019. Last year he arrived here on December 5 so he is a little ahead of schedule this year. If conditions are good, he may well stay in this area until late February/early March.