Lyster on the move

Everyone following the BTO Cuckoos was worried about Lyster; there had been no news from him since 1st April, when he was in Ivory Coast. At 12.55 on Friday afternoon, a partial signal was received showing his location as Algeria! There was an anxiously wait for a stronger signal. Sure enough this data came through an hour later, enabling confirmation that Lyster is still very much with us and has nearly completed his Sahara crossing.

The signal came from a location just 75 miles west of where Chris was recorded in the Great Erg desert on his way to Italy.

Chris and Martin have stayed put in Italy and Spain respectively. One of the reasons for this may be because of adverse weather. Southern Spain, where we last heard from Martin, has had thunderstorms, hail and strong northerly winds in the last few days — just one of the many hazards faced by migrating birds.