Updates from our Cuckoos

We had been mildly concerned over the low temperature of Lyster’s tag, at the time we received the one location from south of Paris late on Friday. This, however, gave way to relief yesterday morning when his tag began transmitting again and locations showed he was in Norfolk!  He had moved 530km (330 miles) almost due north since late on Friday.  The sensor data from his tag indicate he was probably actively migrating at the time the Paris location was received.  Since he was last in Algeria (25 April) he has moved approximately 1880km (1170 miles) almost due north in less than 5 days.

Lyster has travelled an amazing 1350km (800 miles) in two days, leapfrogging Chris to take the lead in the race back to the UK!

Lyster first arrived in Algeria on the 13th April, and data transmissions received on the 25th of April showed he had made a move from the date plantation in the desert northwards into the Atlas mountains. A location received late on the 27th showed that Lyster was in France about 115km (70 miles) south of Paris! He took two days to cross the Mediterranean and make it as far as central France, a journey of just over 800 miles.

We are due to receive further news from Lyster today. Could he be the first tagged Cuckoo to return to the UK?

 Lyster remains in Algeria, but over the weekend he made a move nearer to the coast. We received further data from him yesterday (23rd April) showing that he is still on the north African coast. If weather conditions are suitable we may find that the next transmission from Lyster sees him safely back on mainland Europe.

Locations received for Lyster early on the 16 April showed that he was 260km (160 miles) NE of his previous position and only 80km (50 miles) from the Tunisian border. He appears to have settled in a date plantation and has not yet finished his desert crossing. Could bad weather be responsible for this early stop? His tag should transmit again tomorrow morning (18 April) and as the wind is due to drop overnight, he may have moved on by then.

During the afternoon and early evening of 13 April, we received a series of locations for Lyster - the first since 1 April.  They showed that he had emerged from Ghana and had almost completed his desert crossing! As with the three Cuckoos that had preceded him across the desert he was located in northern Algeria, his route having taken him between the paths taken by Chris and Kasper. He was between the Grand Erg Oriental and Occidental deserts and during the eight hour period that the locations spanned, he did not appear to be moving. His tag is due to start transmitting again this evening (Sunday) when we hope to find out how he has fared during the remainder of his mammoth journey across the desert.

As far as we know, Lyster is still in Ghana. The last transmission period should have been yesterday (11 April) and we really would like to see some signs of activity tomorrow. If we do,  he'll be on a much later schedule than other birds, as he was last summer.

We have not heard from Lyster since a transmission on 1 April in Ghana. We have had periods when birds have been 'offline' but we would have hoped to have had a transmission or two in the last 10 days.

No news from Easter Sunday - Martin missed a scheduled transmission and we have not heard from Lyster since 1 April.

On 1 April, Lyster remained in the northern part of Digya NP in Ghana. He has been in this area for nearly four weeks now and, although he left the UK later than the other Cuckoos in August, we might expect him to head north soon.

Lyster hasn't moved any further, a transmission on the 24 March shows and he is now the most easterly Cuckoo and the only one remaining in Ghana.  Perhaps we will see further movements from him soon?