Is Spring on its way ?
They are on the move! Who ? The Norfolk cuckoos that were fitted (last Spring) with solar powered 5G satellite tags. Through these devices, the cuckoos were followed back to their ‘winter homes’ in Africa. The tags transmit for about 10 hours at a time, then they go into 'sleep mode' whilst they are recharged by the light - ready to broadcast the position of the birds some time later ☆.
All of the cuckoos ended up in the same general area of the rain forest in the Congo. Some traversed the Sahara by flying directly over it it, whereas others took a more western route skirting the Sahara. Full details of their journey down to the Mediterranean and then into Africa can be see on the British Trust for Ornithology website here : http://goo.gl/EVxor
Now, the 5G tags indicate that some of these cuckoos are on the move again – this time northward . Admittedly, they have not moved vast distances as yet but they should finish their 4000+ mile journey back to the U.K. sometime in April.
Follow their journeys here : http://www.bto.org/science/migration/tracking-studies/cuckoo-tracking
☆ "This satellite-tracking project is funded by a partnership between the BBC Wildlife Fund, BTO members and Essex & Suffolk Water."
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Discussion
It is definitely on the way we are starting to see lots of different kinds of birds up here in the north west, and that dawn chorus is coming back!
I hope spring is on its way we have had such cold and nasty weather it would be nice for a change. Its amazing to think how many miles these birds fly!
another interesting article on tracking the migration of birds here
http://planetearth.nerc.ac.uk/news/story.aspx?id=1168
Bill
20 February, 2012