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. If you enjoy these updates, please consider sponsoring a Cuckoo. Sponsors receive special updates about their chosen Cuckoo in the Cuckoo e-newsletter.
Meet Norman!
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.
Welcome to Jim
Jim was named in honour of former BTO Director and ornithological giant, Jim Flegg OBE. He was tagged at Wisborough Green, West Sussex on May 14
Say hi to Frederic
Frederic was tagged at High Fen Wildland, near Thetford in Breckland on May 21.
Say hello to Ashok!
Ashok was tagged on May 31 at Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Worlingham Marshes reserve in the Broads National Park.
Ashok is sponsored by all at Xenolith Ltd and is named in memory of Ashok Kumar Kapur.
Introducing Arthur
Arthur was tagged at Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s Worlingham Marshes reserve, in the Broads National Park on May 31.
One Show favourite Cleeve returns
With decent weather conditions forecast, we’d anticipated the return of our final three tagged Cuckoos this weekend and so it turned out to be the case! By Sunday afternoon Cleeve was back at Cranwich Heath, where he was tagged in May last year.
Following a similar route to fellow Cuckoo Joe, Cleeve headed from the Bordeaux region up past Angers, making a sea crossing from Caen. Heading straight inland, he flew over central London, and continued on, passing the BTO headquarters in Thetford before arriving at his summer residence on the edge of Thetford Forest.
Cleeve was the bird who gained a little fame after being featured on the BBC’s One Show, when presenter Hannah Stitfall joined BTO staff as they went out to catch and tag Cuckoos in the Brecks. It’s great to have him back, along with our other tagged birds!
Joe times it right
Since we last checked in with Joe, when he was in south-west France, he has covered his final 1,000 km (620 miles) back to Norfolk. His route took him north though western France, crossing The Channel close to Bayeux, and arriving on UK shores at Worthing.
By midnight on Saturday, he was on the edge of Thetford Forest, and shortly after was just east of Downham Market, just a few miles from where he was tagged in 2022. He is just one day earlier than he was arriving back in 2024!
Hafren heads 'home'
Hafren was still in the Finistère department of Brittany on Friday afternoon, but by Sunday morning he was back in the UK. Heading north, he flew straight across The Channel, passing just 20 km (12 miles) west of Guernsey, before flying over the Dorset coast near Abbotsbury.
He continued, passing over Sherborne, Bath and Gloucester before arriving back in the area around Hill Court Farm and The Blacklands, where he was tagged on 18 May last year.
Sayaan sails into Sussex
Hot on the heels of Cores and Wilfrid, Sayaan is the third of our tagged Cuckoos to return to his breeding area this spring.
Having made his way through the Italian Alps from Genoa, via Turin, in recent days, he then took off through France in a north-westerly direction, passing Paris and heading directly for The Channel. Around 7.30 this morning (25) he flew over Worthing and continued inland and is currently just south-west of Horsham, West Sussex.
He is in the same region where he was tagged in 2023 and where he also spent last summer.
Hafren's homeward bound
In the last three days Hafren has left his temporary home in the Cáceres province, Spain, and covered around 1,600 km (994 miles). His journey took him around the Bay of Biscay, passing over Bilbao, then Bordeaux, before heading to Nantes, and finally taking a rest just north of Lorient, in southern Brittany.
His next big flight should take him to the UK and to his Worcestershire summer residence!