Cuckoo Clocking

A cuckoo named after the BBC wildlife presenter Chris Packham has clocked up 60,000 miles of air travel between the UK and Africa. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) has tagged a number of cuckoos with satellite-tracking devices to learn about migration patterns. Here is how some of them have fared:

Chris Class of 2011

Status: Active

Chris has made seven trips between the UK and Africa, visiting 22 countries and is currently in the Congo rainforest.

Lyster Class of 2011

Status: Inactive - missing presumed dead

Lyster was last traced to barren desert in Mauritania in 2012 on his second journey from Norfolk to Africa.

Clement Class of 2011

Status: inactive - deceased

Clement made it to his wintering grounds, travelling via Spain, but died in Cameroon on the return journey to Britain in 2012.

Hennah Class of 2014

Status: Active

Hennah was tagged in the New Forest, Hampshire in May this year. She left the UK in June and was tracked in the Central African Republic in October.

Dudley Class of 2014

Status: Active

Tagged in Sherwood Pines, Nottinghamshire this year, Dudley's transmitter indicated in July that he had cut across to Niger from his location in Spain.

Hen Harrier Day

Join our thunderclap on Sunday 10th August, show your support for the Hen Harrier, more information here: http://birdersagainst.org/hen-harrier-day-overview/

Hen Harrier Day is organised and co-ordinated by a coalition of Birders Against Wildlife Crime, former RSPB Conservation Director and leading activist Mark Avery, broadcaster and conservationist Chris Packham, the country’s leading wildlife charity the RSPB, and the North West Raptor Protection Group.

Hen Harrier Day has attracted support from a wide selection of organisations and activists, including the Wildlife Trusts, the National Trust, the Hawk and Owl Trust, the League Against Cruel Sports, the Peak District National Park, South West Peregrine Group, Birdwatch magazine, Rare Bird Alert, Bird Information, Birdguides, Welsh Ornithological Society and Quaker Concern for Animals.