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Updates from our Cuckoos

Read the latest updates from our Cuckoos on their migration.

Stanley south of the equator

25 Sep 2014

Stanley left his location in Cameroon, likely because of drier conditions that also seem to have seen other Cuckoos leave the area, and headed south. By the 16 September he had travelled 660km (410 miles) south-east and was in central Congo, making him our most southerly tagged Cuckoo. He didn't stop there though and is now south of the equator! He travelled another 185km (115 miles) south-east, and is around 70km from the Congo river and Congo's border with Democratic Republic of Congo. 

A period of recovery

12 Sep 2014

With most cuckoos now in the Sahel region, we're entering a fairly quiet period in the annual cycle of the tagged cuckoos with less movement than during the migration season.

Birds who completed their desert crossing will spend time in the Sahel recovering their body condition, and some may stay quite a long time. In previous years, cuckoos have stayed in this area for as much as several months, while others spend a shorter amount of time before moving south into the humid zone forests.

The eastern Sahel in Chad and south Sudan has received plenty of rain recently, and thus conditions are likely good for cuckoos. Northern Cameroon was slightly drier than average in August, and so cuckoos such as Derek, Dudley, Stanley, and Emsworthy may be moving on if foraging conditions aren't suitable.

Three Cuckoos in Nigeria

15 Aug 2014

Stanley has travelled south from Niger and is now in Nigeria. He joins Sherwood bird Dudley, in the east of Nigeria, and Devon bird Emsworthy, who is about as far east in Nigeria as you can go, close to Nigeria's border with Cameroon. 

Stanley completes crossing

04 Aug 2014

Stanley has made it across the desert. It appears that he left his location in western Italy and flew across the Mediterrannean sea to reach Libya on 29 July. Signals received on the afternoon of 31 July show him in southern Niger, where he has remained since. 

Twenty-two birds still going strong

25 Jul 2014

We are still following twenty-two birds. Currently two cuckoos are in France – Walpole and unnamed cuckoo 134957.

Five birds are in and around the Po Valley in northern Italy – BB, Chris, Stanley, Waller and Livingstone.

Six birds are in Spain – Two of these are big movers this week. After finally leaving the UK, Derek hasn’t hung around. After a brief stop in central-western France, he is now in central-northern Spain, just south of Tolbanos de Abajo. It is Maji that has provided the biggest surprise though. He seems to be taking a tour of the European mountain ranges. Having spent a time in the Austrian Alps, he is now in the central Pyrenees!

David is still in Montenegro and Ash is still in Croatia; both of these birds could make the move to Africa any day now.

We now have seven birds in Africa, six of them south of the Sahara. Emsworthy is the latest to arrive here and he is currently just south of Lake Chad, in an area that Chris also favours. Three other Cuckoos – Peter, Hennah and Dudley – are also close to Lake Chad.

BB joins fellow Cuckoos in Italy

18 Jul 2014

BB has left Germany and flown over Austria to reach Italy and is close to Venice.  He joins East Anglian Cuckoos Stanley and Chris, and fellow Scottish Cuckos Livingstone and Waller, all of whom are in different areas of northern Italy.

Your chance to name a Cuckoo

27 Jun 2014

With three un-named birds left we are letting you choose what to name one of our Sherwood Cuckoos!  Anyone who sponsors a Cuckoo before the end of June will be entered in to a draw. We’ll then pick one entry at random and will contact the winner who can then suggest a suitable name*. Find out how you could name a Cuckoo

Stanley and BB on their way

26 Jun 2014

Stanley is now on the move and, while the maps show him over the English Channel, we've received further (low quality) locations which place him south-west of Paris, France. Meanwhile BB is a little further behind but has left Scotland and, as of early this morning, was north-west of Newcastle. 

East Anglian birds yet to move

20 Jun 2014

Our East Anglian Cuckoos have yet to budge, with all seven birds remaining in the UK. In previous years Chris has left between 11-21 June, while last year Skinner left on 30 June and Derek on 17 July. It may be a while before we see any movement from these two birds but keep an eye on Chris over the weekend.  

With a flurry of Cuckoos leaving the UK, Ash looks to be the only tagged Cuckoo remaining in the most southern of our tagging locations. 

Stanley last of Thetford finds for 2014

31 May 2014

Stanley was the last of three birds to be tagged in the Thetford area in 2014. On a misty morning near Cranwich Heath, Stanley hurled itself at our dummy female Cuckoo and into the net from a great distance, despite the nets being highlighted by the mist.

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