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Updates from our Cuckoos

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.

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Bluey back on track

12 Apr 2024

Bluey finally reoriented and has now headed north once more, travelling approximately 470km (292 miles) from southern Guinea into western Mali.

He is currently close to two vast open-pit gold mines near the town of Sadiola, in the Kayes region of Mali.

Bluey does a U-ey

08 Apr 2024

After making landfall in Mali last week, it seems Bluey had a change of heart and u-turned, flying a surprising 323km (200 miles) south, back into southern Guinea, close to the border with Sierra Leone.

Fingers crossed he reorientates himself soon, and sets off back on a northerly route toward the Sahara.  

Bluey heads north to Mali

03 Apr 2024

Bluey has set off north from southern Guinea and crossed the border into Mali after a 597km (371 miles) journey.

He is now in the south west of the country, near the village of Tonbokoli, to the west of Bafing National Park. 

Bluey reaches Guinea

12 Mar 2024

New updates received early this morning show that Bluey has flown 2,650km (1,647 miles) west from his last location in Cameroon to his new location in southern Guinea.

He is now 50km north-east of the city of Kissidougou and approximately 100km west of Cuckoo Trent. 

Bluey migrates north

15 Feb 2024

Over the last couple of weeks Bluey has departed his wintering grounds in Angola and flown 1,133km (704 miles) north to Cameroon.

He is now in the eastern part of the Dja Faunal Reserve, a UNESCO world heritage site inscribed for its incredible biodiversity and low disturbance.  

Bluey arrives in Angola

05 Dec 2023

New updates received from Bluey's tag in the small hours of this morning (5 Dec) show that he continued south from his last location in Gabon, flying a further 1,000km (622 miles) to reach Angola.

He is now 50km (30 miles) due east of the town of N'zeto. Bluey is the second of our tagged Cuckoos to reach Angola this year, following Cuckoo Trent, who is 93km (58 miles) south of Bluey.  

Bluey moves south to Gabon

04 Dec 2023

After almost three weeks in Cameroon, Bluey has finally made another move, flying 436km (271 miles) south to Gabon.

At 3:30 on Saturday afternoon (2 Dec) he was in the forest a couple of miles due west of the city of Oyem in northern Gabon.  

Bluey bursts back into life

17 Nov 2023

Having spent three months in North-West Nigeria and lagging significantly behind the other Cuckoos, we were fearing the worst for Sussex Cuckoo Bluey. So we were thrilled when we received new updates over the last few days showing that he had flown 540km (335 miles) south-east from Nigeria to Cameroon.

Three months in one area is quite exceptional for our Cuckoos so the areas Bluey was using in Nigeria must have been very good for him. His departure occurred just after the end of the rains at that location, likely very significant given his occupation of gallery forest along seasonal watercourses.

Bluey is now in western Cameroon, 35km (21 miles) east of the city of Bafoussam.

Bluey moves east to Nigeria

03 Aug 2023

Bluey has departed Mali and flown 1,025 km (637 miles) east, taking him across Burkina Faso and into Nigeria.

He has spent the last few days 63 km (40 miles) north-west of the town of Zuru in Kebbi State.

Bluey has crossed the Sahara

25 Jul 2023

Since our last update Bluey has flown approximately 2,650 km (1,646 miles) on a journey that has taken him across the Sahara Desert, from Morocco, through Western Sahara and Mauritania to Mali.

He has spent the last couple of days in western Mali, close to the border with Senegal. He is approximately 16 km (10 miles) east of the town of Kéniéba, close to the Tabakoto gold mine.

It is the rainy season here and so hopefully Bluey will be finding plenty of invertebrate food to help him recover from his desert crossing. 

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