As we head into December, we can expect our tagged Cuckoos to be fairly settled for the next few weeks. They should now be firmly in their ‘wintering’ grounds in the Congo basin, feasting on tropical insects, and trying to avoid getting eaten themselves – there are lots of predatory birds, mammals, and reptiles in that region!

Of the 11 tagged Cuckoos that left the UK in summer, we have continued to receive regular updates from nine. 

The furthest east of our birds are Joe and Sayaan, both of whom are in Democratic Republic of the Congo. They are currently just 12 km (7 miles) away from each other, in the dense rainforests to the north of the Busira River. 

Our most southerly Cuckoo is Cleeve, deep in the Republic of the Congo, close to the Léfini Faunal Reserve. He is in the same area as Wingston, who has in recent days been less than 40 km (25 miles) away from him. Cuckoo Norman is the west of these two birds, close to the Gabon border.

Furthest north we find Jim and Arthur, both in Gabon. Nearby is Ashok, less than 50 km (31 miles) to the south of Jim. Frederic has recently crossed the border of Republic of the Congo and headed east into the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where he is currently by the large freshwater Lake Mai-Ndombe.

Two birds, Cores and Wilfrid, made it across the Sahara but after some promising movements, we soon lost track of them. Cores’ signal stopped on 27 October, when he was in southern Chad, while we last heard from Wilfrid on 20 September as he moved toward Nigeria from Niger. It may be that these two ‘lost’ Cuckoos have reached the end of their lives, or that the satellite tags have failed. 

We may never know what happened to this pair, but we do know that each bird has provided us with remarkable information that has allowed us invaluable insights into the complex stories of Cuckoo migration. 

The remaining Cuckoos will likely remain in their wintering areas until February, when we will hope to see some movement as they prepare to commence their long flights back to Europe for the 2026 breeding season. For some of this Cuckoo cohort, it will be the first time that we get to follow their remarkable journeys north. 

We will, as always, keep an eye on the Cuckoos and as soon as we see signs that they’re starting to head back we will post updates and track their incredible progress once more! 

In the last week Norman, our only current Scottish tagged Cuckoo, has moved further into the rainforest, and is now in western Republic of the Congo, close to the southern Gabon border. 

At the moment, he is our southern-most Cuckoo having travelled around 7,500 km (4,660 miles) since leaving Loch Lomond back in June!

Since crossing the Sahara in late July, Norman spent August and September in an area just to the east of Lake Chad, near the town of Massakory.

In recent days he has made his way south, covering almost 1,500 km (930 miles) as he flew through Cameroon, and down along the border between Gabon and Republic of the Congo. 

As of late last night (6 October) he was deep in the remote rainforests to the south of Mwagna National Park, home to Forest Elephant, Western Lowland Gorilla, Leopards and a wide range of reptiles, invertebrates and birds.    

After a leisurely stay in the Italian Alps, Scottish-tagged Cuckoo Norman made his way east down past Turin, onto Florence, past Gallipoli and across to the Peloponnese. From here he crossed the eastern Mediterranean and made his way south through Libya. 

By late last night (28 July), having covered some 4,200 km (2,610 miles) since leaving Italy, he was in southern Chad, near the town of Massakory. Looking at weather maps of the region, we can see that there is currently a large tropical rainstorm moving through the area – no doubt offering welcome relief after that scorching desert crossing! 

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? 

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!

Since leaving eastern England a few days ago, Scottish-tagged Cuckoo Norman has made steady progress. He has covered just over 400 km (250 miles) and is currently in the sprawling agricultural landscape just to the east of the French city of Reims. 

Scottish bird Norman, has toured the English east coast since we posted our last update. He left Northumberland on 22 June and made his way leisurely south along the Yorkshire coast, passing Spurn three days later. 

From here, he cut across to Weybourne, Norfolk and then pushed on into Suffolk. He is currently by the River Waveney, just north of North Cove Nature Reserve.    

Scottish-tagged Norman has crossed the border and is now on the Northumberland coast, close to the birdwatching hotspot of Druridge Bay. As our only bird tagged in Scotland this year, it will be interesting to see what route he takes from here, and whether his movements through Europe differ from those of his English cousins…  

Meet Norman, who was tagged in Inversnaid, close to Loch Lomond on May 23. 

He has already left his main breeding area, and has moved c30 km (18 miles) south and is currently just outside the town of Dumbarton.