Friday 18 October 2024

 Photo shows Cuach Torc. He is a silver/grey bird with an arresting yellow eye ring and orange iris around a black retina.

The latest bulletin from BTO on my Cuckoo

 

Dear John,


Irish Cuckoo Cuach Torc's journey has been particularly interesting (and nerve-wracking) to follow this year. Having reached southern Greece, he turned back north, travelling all the way back to Germany before heading south west again into France. Torc was tagged in 2023 so we know that last year he crossed to Africa in late July, arriving in northern Libya on 29 July. He then spent several weeks in Sudan before moving down into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by mid-September and remaining there for the winter. This year he is clearly well behind schedule but it is a relief to report that he has finally crossed the Mediterranean and is now in northern Tunisia. He is close to a reservoir on the Mellegue River. It'll be interesting to see whether he presses on south now so that by the time he arrives at his wintering grounds he is not so far behind last year's schedule.