Scottish cuckoos successfully make it to Africa for the winter

Two cuckoos tagged in Scotland earlier this year have successfully made it to tropical Africa where they will spend the winter months.

Since 2011, BTO has fitted more than 120 individual cuckoos with state-of-the-art satellite tags to unravel the mysteries of their migrations and help their conservation.

Henry and George 2 were tagged at Dundonnell Estate last May, along with a third bird called MacSporran who is now missing. Henry has settled in the Central African Republic while George has landed alongside the Niger River in southern Niger.

Tracked by both the scientists, and thousands of fascinated members of public via an online map depicting their real-time movements, the cuckoos have provided extraordinary insights into their peripatetic ways.

The song of the cuckoo is amongst the most recognisable of all wild bird sounds and was once a much-anticipated clarion of summer across much of the UK.

But there has been a sharp decline in the number of the birds in recent years and the reasons why are still not fully understood.

George 2 took an unexpected route to Africa. Having made steady progress into Spain, he then turned north back into France, before returning to Spain and setting of across the Mediterranean just north of Barcelona, in late September.

He then spent much of October in southern Mali before moving once again, and is now alongside the Niger River in southern Niger, close to the borders of Benin and Burkina Faso.

Having conquered the Sahara by the end of August, Henry spent the last few weeks slowly making his way south. He currently seems settled in the Central African Republic, approximately 210 km (130 miles) north of the capital Bangui.

Sadly, it seems very unlikely that we will hear from Highland cuckoo MacSporran again after he went missing in July.

There were no signs of any issues with his tag until transmissions suddenly stopped mid-transmission cycle. This could be due to a sudden event such as predation, or it could be due to tag failure.

There is a very slim chance of course that he is re-caught alive or that his ring or tags are recovered.

‘Understanding the dangers that many of these birds face as they migrate vast distances, can help us to consider how we might help to protect them,’ said Dr Chris Hewson, lead scientist on the project.

‘Each satellite-tagged bird provides essential data, uncovering mysteries that we could only have guessed at previously.

‘This ongoing project opens a significant window on the wonders of migration, and our discoveries are helping to shape the way we look at bird migration more widely.’

Read more Wildlife stories here.

Subscribe to read the latest issue of Scottish Field.