We’d not heard much from Ashok in recent days, and he seemed to be lingering in Suffolk. However, we suddenly received a signal telling us that he had not only left the UK, but had crossed mainland Europe, flown across the Mediterranean via Monaco and Sardinia, and made landfall in Tunisia over the weekend! 

Now in northern Libya, Ashok is the first of our tagged birds to start the next leg of the major migration journey – crossing the Sahara!

Arthur is another of our Cuckoos who seemed quite content hanging around in Suffolk, before suddenly springing into action and heading south. He is already in south-western Spain, more than 1,750 km (1,087 miles) away from where he was tagged at Worlingham Marshes on 31 May. 

Just north of Seville, Arthur is in the wooded hillsides within the Dehesas de Sierra Morena Biosphere Reserve, known for its Iberian Lynx, Black Vultures and Wolves. 

Wilfrid set off in earnest on 1 July, and in just a couple of days had swiftly covered around 800 km (500 miles), making his way from Suffolk to the banks of the Gironde estuary in southwestern France. 

From here he cut across the south-eastern corner of the Bay of Biscay, entering Spain between Bilbao and Santander. He is currently close to Embalse de Valdeobispo, a small lake on the Alagón River in the province of Cáceres.

Since our last check-in four days ago, Frederic has flown a further 300 km (186 miles) and has now crossed the Pyrenees. 

He is currently in a remote and sparsely populated mountain region in the Spanish province of La Rioja. 

By this date last year, Cleeve was already making steady progress and was in northern Spain. However, he has taken his time so far this summer and only left Norfolk on Saturday. 

By this morning (7 July) he was on the Belgian / French border in the municipality of Wallonia. If he follows last year’s route he should head into north-eastern Spain in the next few days.

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. 

Joe finally set off on 28 June and has made swift progress. His route took him straight over Thetford, and indeed BTO headquarters (!) before making his way toward the south coast, where he left the UK at Harwich. A direct flight took him across The Channel to Dunkirk, from where he powered on toward the alps, making a short stop in northern Italy, around 40 km (25 miles) from Mont Blanc. 

Joe then made a move due south, and by yesterday evening was on the French coast, in the hills above trendy Saint-Tropez. 

In the past couple of days, Frederic has moved a further 260 km (161 miles) south-west, and appears to be heading for Spain. Currently south of Bordeaux and in the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park, famous for its wintering Cranes, he is just 130 km (80 miles) from the Pyrenees and the Spanish border. 

Will Frederic be the only one of our tagged Cuckoos to take the western route this summer, or will others follow?   

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.    

Another newly tagged Cuckoo, Frederic left Norfolk five days ago, and headed determinedly south. After a day on the south Kent coast, he set off across The Channel from Dungeness, arriving on the French coast near Le Tréport, Normandy.  

From here he continued south into central France, bypassing Paris, before veering slightly west. He is currently just north of Limoges, near the town of Le Dorat, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, having covered around 810 km (503 miles) since setting off.