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.
Cleeve clings on
Cleeve has spent the last few weeks in a heavily forested region in the southern part of the Republic of the Congo.
He is just west of the Lefini Reserve, a protected area which is home to an array of wildlife including Western Lowland Gorillas, chimpanzees, elephants and more than 260 bird species.
Hafren swoops into central Senegal
Five days ago we could see that Hafren was approaching the border of Western Sahara from Morocco.
Since then, he continued his journey south, covering a further 1,660 km (1,030 miles).
He then made his way along the coast of western Mauritania and our most recent signal, received at 6.24am today, shows that he has now headed inland, and is in central Senegal, having spent some time in the relatively lush environs of the Sylvo-Pastorale National Park.
Wilfrid's way out West Africa
Our last update from Wilfrid, around a week ago, saw him still lingering in Portugal.
However, soon after this he set off across the Atlantic, bypassing the Canary Islands and the Moroccan coast, and making landfall at Dakhla, in the Western Sahara region.
From here, he continued through Senegal, and our latest signal shows that he is now following the River Gambia and is just 60km (37 miles) from the Guinea border. Since leaving Portugal Wilfrid has flown more than 2,900 km (1,800 miles).
Joe follows familiar route
This is the third ‘autumn’ that we have been able to follow Joe, after he was satellite tagged in Norfolk in May 2022, and he has taken much the same route this year as on earlier migrations.
Mirroring his previous movements, he is currently in south-east Chad, nearing the Bahr Aouk River, on the border of Central African Republic.
Hafren makes for the Maghreb
Hafren has now left Spain and is making his way south along the North African coast.
His route saw him setting off across the sea, leaving the Spanish mainland west of the famous Doñana National Park, before arriving on the Moroccan coast just to the north of the city of Agadir.
At 7.36 this morning, we received a signal showing that he was close to the Western Sahara border. In the last 48 hours Hafren has covered around 1,220 km (758 miles).
Henry’s Hamburg detour
Henry, if the satellite information is accurate (and there’s no reason for us to assume that it isn’t), is behaving rather oddly… following his 12-day stay just to the south-west of Paris, he finally set off, but instead of heading south he took off to the north, towards Germany!
Two days ago he passed Cologne and continued to fly northwards. He then bypassed Bremen and cracked on towards Hamburg, before veering west, and at 7.56 this morning (24) we received a signal to say that he was just north of the North Sea port city of Bremerhaven!
In summary, Henry appears to have flown approximately 960 km (596 miles) in the wrong direction. Hopefully, he will soon reorientate and head south after his surprising German tour.
Sayaan hits the Sahel
Since our last update, when Sayaan was in the Jalo oasis area of northern Libya, he has flown a further 1,766 km (1,097 miles) across the desert and is currently in east Chad.
He has reached the Sahel region, where he can hopefully rest and feed a little before continuing south. At 8.03 this morning (24 July) he was close to the western border of Sudan and just north of the city of Abéché, the fourth largest city in Chad.
Joe checks-in in Chad
Having crossed the Sahara a week ago, Joe has been taking it relatively easy.
He moved down through north-east Nigeria, passing through Cameroon and is currently in the Chari-Baguirmi region of southern Chad.
Nick II's African adventure
This is one feisty Cuckoo! The last of our tagged birds to leave the UK, Nick II has really ploughed on and is now the second of our birds to tackle the Sahara.
He is currently on the coast of Mauritania, having left Suffolk just 11 days ago! Since our last update, he has flown south through Spain, and cut across north-west Morocco before passing through Western Sahara, and arriving just to the north of Nouakchott, Mauritania’s sprawling and densely-populated capital.
His next move should see him moving south through Senegal or Mali, before heading to his wintering grounds.
Sayaan's southern surge
After a lengthy rest in central Italy, Sayaan has clearly felt the urge to get a move on in recent days.
He has now crossed the Mediterranean and is currently in northeastern Libya, in the Al Wahat District in the Jalo oasis, and about to commence his epic Sahara crossing.
When, and where, will he arrive on the other side?