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.
Time out for Cuach Torc
Cuach Torc defied expectations by engaging in some rather unexpected autumn migratory manoeuvres in Europe (see his earlier posts for details!), finally arriving south of the Sahara in early November.
We last heard from him from his position in north-east Gabon, close to the border with Republic of the Congo on 19 December.
Regarding the Cuckoos who we have not heard from for a while, it may be that they are still alive but there is an issue with their tags and we are simply not receiving signals. However, it is normal for birds die in the course of their long migrations, on their breeding grounds, or in their wintering quarters. While we will rarely know what did really happen to these individuals, the incredible information that they provide is invaluable in helping us to understand the extraordinary lives of UK breeding Cuckoos.
Goodbye from George II
George II took a more westerly route than his fellow Scottish bird Henry, but not before toing and froing between Spain and France before eventually crossing the Mediterranean in late September.
By early December he was in southern Cameroon, but sadly we haven’t had any signal from him since then.
Henry's last hurrah
One of our Scottish-tagged birds, Henry made excellent progress on his autumn migration, successfully crossing the Sahara by the end of August. He then made his way slowly south through Chad and into Central African Republic.
We last received a signal from him on 28 November, and it looks probable that that’s the last we’ll hear from him.
Cuthbert’s Cameroon farewell
We last heard from Cuthbert on 7 November, when he was in Cameroon, having made a successful and mostly straightforward migration south from his Suffolk breeding grounds.
Unfortunately, it does look likely that he may have perished in the vast forests of Cameroon.
KO for KP
We’re sorry to say that we haven’t heard anything from KP since October 2024, when we last received a signal from him in his wintering grounds in Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Tagged in Ireland in May 2023, KP has provided us with invaluable insights into the movements of these amazing birds.
Severn’s up
Severn had an astonishing autumn migration, which saw him head south through Spain, before reorientating and flying back up via France to Italy, where he spent some time before attempting a crossing of the Mediterranean.
He seemed to be making good progress but then suddenly switched direction and headed east, eventually settling in Macedonia where we last from him in late August.
Cores for celebration
Cuach Cores, whose last signal was received from Central African Republic back in November, suddenly re-appeared, somewhat Lazurus-like, around midday on 8 April in western Algeria!
He is crossing the Sahara in earnest and appears to be heading directly toward Morocco. As of this morning (9 April) he is currently just south of the town of Mogheul.
This time last year, he was still in Nigeria, not arriving in Europe until the end of April, when he touched down in Montpelier, France.
Which route will he take this spring?
Hafren's Spanish flee...
As we expected, Hafren crossed the Mediterranean overnight on 5 April and headed straight inland, passing over Granada and on into central Spain.
He is currently feeding up and resting on the shores of the Puente Nuevo Reservoir in the province of Córdoba.
Hafren is go!
Hot on Wilfrid’s heels, Hafren has now set off across the Sahara.
Leaving his temporary stopping-off point in the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, he skirted along the eastern border of Guinea, cut across south-eastern Mali, and motored through Mauritania before arriving in Western Sahara, covering around 2,200 km (1,370 miles).
From here, he should head up along the Moroccan coast, after which he will cross into Spain.
Where's Wilfrid?
We hadn’t received any signals from Wilfrid since March 20, when he was still in south-east Guinea. Any concerns that we may have had for his wellbeing and whereabouts were joyously dashed yesterday when it became clear that he’d made significant progress since his last check-in.
At some point in the last 11 days he headed north in earnest, clearing the Sahara and arriving in the Extremadura region in central Spain! Currently just north of Guadalupe, he has covered at least 3,500 km (2,174 miles) since leaving Guinea and in excess of 7,000 km (4,350 miles) since departing his wintering grounds in Angola.
Of all our tagged Cuckoos, Wilfrid was the one who wintered the furthest south this year and he is now by far the most northerly of our birds!