Updates from our Cuckoos

In the early hours of this morning JAC flew 185Km (115 miles) east into the Kantchari department of eastern Burkina Faso, close to the border with Niger. He is now in the W National Park (so called because it is situated around a meander in the River Niger shaped like the letter W). This is the largest remaining wilderness in Burkina Faso, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing three RAMSAR wetlands of international importance and three BirdLife International Important Bird Areas. The park has areas in Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin and covers some 10,000km2 (3,900 sq miles) of largely uninhabited land. It is known for its large mammals which include some of West Africa's last wild African elephant, packs of the endangered West African wild dog and is one of the last strongholds of  the Northwest African cheetah. It is also a great place for birds, especially migrants and over 350 species have been identified here. JAC will be in some very interesting company!

Since arriving in Burkina Faso JAC has flown 98km (60 miles) south east, into the Yamba department of Burkina Faso and he is currently close to the town of Yamba. The tempertaure there today is 24° with a high probability of thundery heavy showers. 

Updates received from Victor II at 07:30 this morning show that he has left France and crossed the Mediterranean. He has flown 1,423Km (885 miles) south and reached north eastern Algeria. He is currently over the Grand Erg Oriental (Great Eastern Sand Sea), one of the driest landscapes on earth. This "erg" or dune field is vast, stretching over an area of approximately 600 kilometers by 200 kilometers, an endlessly stretching horizon of sand. Ahead of him is Tassili n'Ajjer national park, a vast sandstone plateau, the highest peak of which is Adrar Afao at 2,158 m (7,080 ft).  Fingers crossed for Victor II!

By 7pm last night Llangollen Cuckoo JAC had covered the remaining 560Km over the Sahara in southern Mali and had arrived in Burkina Faso. At 9pm last night he was close to the town of Bogande in the Gnagna Province of eastern Burkina Faso. He was 155Km (95 miles) north east of the capital Ouagagougou. JAC joins AJ, Ellis and Calypso as the first four tagged Cuckoos to successfully complete their desert crossing this year. 2,200 km currently separates AJ in Mali in the west from Ellis in Nigeria.

JAC has made a big movement over the last few days and by 18:45 on Friday night he was in or around the Hoggar mountains in the central Sahara, southern Algeria. The highest peak in this mountain range, Mount Tahat, is 2,908 m (9,541 ft) high. Isn't it extraordinary to think of the sorts of landscapes our Cuckoos pass through on their incredible journeys? By 09:23 Saturday morning, he had made it as far as eastern Mali. In his journey from Spain he has so far covered 2,608 km (1,620 miles) and he looks as if he will finish his desert crossing in south west Niger or possibly Burkina Faso. The next update will hopefully show that he has successfully completed his desert crossing. 

Over the last 24 hours Calpyso has flown 10 km south west within the Kwiabana Game Reserve in the south of Zamfara state, Nigeria. An ecological survey of this area published in 1981 found big numbers of large mammals, particularly Elephants, Roan Antelopes, Hartebeest and Buffalo, as well as smaller mammals like Warthog, Baboon, Ardvark, Baboons, Green Monkeys and Porcupines. The recommendation of that study was to protect the area from illegal hunting and grazing to create an area with great potential for game viewing and tourism. It would be interesting to know how the reserve has fared since 1981. 

A series of updates from JAC's tag arrived last night showing that by 19:33 he had flown 672Km (418 miles) south from his last location near Maintenon, France, over the border into Spain. He was on the slopes of the Sierra de Manga mountain range, close to the village of Ainet de Besan. He was approximately 8Km north east of the town of Llavorsi. Subsequent, low quality signals showed him pressing on further and by 23:25 last night he was 25Km north west of Barcelona. Will he carry on to Africa from here, or stop for a rest? Stay tuned to find out. 

A new update received early this morning shows that PJ has flown 215Km (134 miles) north east into the Spanish Pyrenees. He is now approximately 10Km north east of the town of Isaba in the Navarre region of northern Spain. He is currently in the foothills of Mesa de los Tres Reyes (the table of the three kings) which is the highest point in Spanish Navarre at 2,428m (7,966ft). PJ made a very similar north-easterly movement between 25-30 July last year. 

Clive didn't stay in Brittany for long, new updates received just after 7am this morning showed that he has flown 700Km (435 miles) south to northern Spain. He is now in a woodland close to the town of Cevico Navero in Palencia. He is 81 km south west of Cuckoo PJ and 144Km north of Cuckoo Harry. 

New updates from Calypso arrived between 04:34 and 07:22 this morning showing that he has flown a further 586 km (364 miles) to complete his crossing of the Sahara. In total he has covered 2,784km (1,730 miles) since leaving from northern Tunisia and arriving at his current location in northern Nigeria. He is now in an area of Guinea Savanna close to the Kwiambana Game Reserve in the Zamfara region of north western Nigeria. He is 381Km (237 miles) west of Cuckoo Ellis who is also in northern Nigeria.