JAC is named in loving memory of Professor Jenny Clack, a world-class palaeontologist, widely acknowledged as the leading authority on the evolution of land vertebrates from fish. The name JAC was chosen by Jenny’s husband Rob who said: “It seemed appropriate I should contribute to this important scientific study of Cuckoos in memory of a top-class scientist, whom I adored.”
Status :
Presumed dead
Tagged : Tue, June 01, 2021 - 05:00
Age when found : Adult
Tagging Location : World's End, Llangollen, Denbighshire
Tagged : Tue, June 01, 2021 - 05:00
Age when found : Adult
Tagging Location : World's End, Llangollen, Denbighshire
Satellite Tag No. :
213805
Wing Length (mm) : 224
Sex : Male
Wing Length (mm) : 224
Sex : Male
JAC's journey from 1st June 2021 to 26th February 2024
Updates on JAC 's movements
The end of the road for Cuckoo JAC
09 Jun 2023
We are very sad to report that we have heard the last from Cuckoo JAC.
JAC, named in loving memory of Professor Jenny Clack, was tagged at World’s End near Llangollen on 1 June 2021. Since then we have had the privilege of tracking him over two full migration cycles from Wales to Africa and back.
His route south across the Sahara took him via Algeria and Mali to the Sahelian areas of Burkina Faso or Niger. He then spent some time in northern Nigeria before heading on to the Congo. On his return migration north, he visited West Africa where he stopped in Ivory Coast in 2022 and Guinea in 2023, arriving back in Llangollen around the end of April each year.
The diagnostic data received from his tag shows the recorded temperature dropping and this, along with the fact that he appears to have been stationary for quite a while, suggests that he has perished (rather than there being a tag failure).
He has made a very valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of Cuckoo ecology and we will miss reporting on his movements.
JAC is back!
24 Apr 2023
We are pleased to report that JAC completed his migration back to his breeding grounds over the weekend. Over the last three months he has flown 8,270km (5,138 miles) on his migration north and has arrived at his breeding grounds approximately one week earlier than last year. In 2021 he departed on 23 June and in 2022 he left on on 20 June so we expect him to stay in the World's End area for approximately two months before heading off on his return migration to the Congo.
JAC reaches northern France
21 Apr 2023
New updates received from JAC's tag on Wednesday (19 April) show that he had flown 923km (574 miles) north from his last location in eastern Spain to northern Brittany. At 21:42 on Wednesday 19 April he was just west of the town of Saint-Gonnery. Where will he be when we receive the next update?
JAC pushes north through Spain
30 Mar 2023
New updates received late last night show that JAV has flown a further 515km (320 miles) north east from his last location in Andalusia. He is now close to the village of Graja de Campalbo in the province of Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha.
JAC crosses the Sahara
28 Mar 2023
We predicted, based on data from last year, that Ellis would be the first of our tagged Cuckoos to cross the Sahara this year. Last year he crossed on 28 March, while JAC waited until 7 April and Victor II lingered until 14 April. New updates received last night show that JAC has not only crossed the Sahara but continued on into Spain. He has flown 3,047km (1,893 miles) north since our last update, taking him from south eastern Guinea over the Sahara and the Strait of Gibraltar into southern Spain. He is now close to the town of Gaucín in the mountains of Andalusia in Málaga. Last year he stayed in southern Spain until 26 April when he moved north again, arriving back in Llangollen on 29 April. It'll be interesting to see whether he takes a break in Spain this year before embarking on the next stage of his migration.
JAC still in Guinea
24 Mar 2023
Since arriving in Guinea on 28 Feb JAC has flown a short distance north and is now halfway between Diassadougou and Guieredougou in eastern Guinea. He has spent approximately 20 days in this area preparing for the next leg of his northward migration. Last year he began crossing the Sahara on 7th April, so be prepared for JAC to migrate north within the next 3 weeks.
JAC joins Ellis in Guinea
27 Feb 2023
JAC has flown a further 1390km (864 miles) west from his last location in western Nigeria to his new location in south eastern Guinea. He is now approximately 200km south east of Cuckoo Ellis. Both Cuckoos will spend the next few weeks feeding up in preparation for the next leg of their northward migration.
JAC is on his way!
23 Feb 2023
Having spent the last few weeks in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a new update received at 18:20 last night (22 February) shows that JAC has flown 1,915km (1,190 miles) west to Nigeria. At that time last night he was just south of the city of Ibadan in south-western Nigeria. In 2022 JAC's inital move west saw him arrive in Ivory Coast on 27 Feb where he stayed until 7 April when he embarked on his desert crossing, arriving back in the UK on 29 April. Will JAC move on to Ivory Coast again? Stay tuned to find out!
JAC moves to DRC
30 Jan 2023
Over the past week JAC has flown 460km (285 miles) north east, flying from his last location in the Republic of the Congo over the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Last winter he moved into DRC in early November and remained here until late February when he moved to Cameroon. His current location in DRC is very close to the area he visited in January 2022.
JAC nudges south in the Republic of Congo
07 Nov 2022
Since our last update JAC has relocated 40km south within the Republic of Congo. He is currently at the edge of a forested area close to the town of Gamboma in the Plateaux region of central Republic of Congo. He is still south and west of his 2021 wintering grounds over the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
JAC relocates south east in Congo
19 Oct 2022
Since arriving in the Congo a few weeks ago, JAC has flown 180km (112 miles) south east towards the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo. He is now 65km (40 miles) due east of the town of Oyo in the Cuvette region of Congo. We know that last year he wintered further east in DRC so he may well continue his journey east from here.
JAC arrives in the Congo
10 Oct 2022
Over the last few days JAC has flown 592km (368 miles) south east from his last location in Gabon to the Republic of the Congo. He is in the rainforest approximately 20km north west of the town of Makoua. Last year JAC spent a couple of weeks in the Republic of Congo at the beginning of October before moving deeper into the rainforest of the Congo Basin of DRC to the east where he remained until late February.
JAC moves east in Nigeria
15 Aug 2022
Since our last update, JAC has flown approximately 300km (186 miles) east towards north central Nigeria. His route took him to Kamuku National Park and he has since flown a further 30km east. He is now in north west Kaduna state, approximately 90km north west of the city of Kaduna.
JAC flies from Benin to Nigeria
10 Aug 2022
JAC's visit to Benin was brief as new updates received last night show that he has flow 186km(116 miles) south east, taking him over the border into Nigeria. He is now in north western Nigeria, on the edge of the Illoka Oje Forest Reserve. Last year JAC spent almost two weeks in western Nigeria before moving further east into north central Nigeria where he remained until early October. He then moved directly to the Congo Basin where he spent the winter.
JAC visits Benin
08 Aug 2022
After a brief visit to eastern Burkina Faso, JAC has hopped over the border into Benin. He is now in the W National Park in the far north of Benin, close to the Mekrou River which separates Benin from Burkina Faso.
JAC moves into Niger
27 Jul 2022
Since our last update JAC has flown 305km (190 miles) south east from his last location in Mali into the far south western corner of Niger, close to the border with Burkina Faso. He is now 112km (70 miles) south west of the capital Niamey and is very close to where he was at this point in July last year.
JAC completes his desert crossing
19 Jul 2022
Since our last update JAC has flown a further 244km (151 miles) south west in Mali, taking him into the Sahel where he should be able to rest and recover. He is now 24km (14 miles) north east of the city of Goa which is situated on the banks of the River Niger. It'll be interesting to see whether JAC continues south into Burkina Faso, as he did last year.
JAC makes it to Mali
18 Jul 2022
By 21:00 last night JAC had flown a further 280km (174 miles) south over the border from Algeria into eastern Mali. He is now 50km south of the desert town of Kidal and within 200km of the River Niger.
JAC reaches sourthern Algeria
17 Jul 2022
Since our last update JAC has flown 1,600km (995 miles) south over the Algerian Sahara. By 21:15 last night he was close to the border between Algeria and Mali, juts outside the town of Timiaouine. He passed over Timiaouine last year on his way south so is following a very similar path. Last year he flew to Burkina Faso and then on to Nigeria, will his destination be the same this year?
JAC reaches Africa
15 Jul 2022
Over the last few days JAC has made a significant move south. By Tuesday evening he was close to L'escala on Spain's Costa Brava. But he didn't hang around for long as further update received close to midnight that evening showed him crossing the Mediterranean on a bearing for Mallorca. The next updates arrived between 04:55 and 08:35 this morning by which time he had reached northern Algeria. His most recent location showed him approximately 200km south of Algiers, and just south of the vast Zehrez Chergui salt lake in the high steppes between the Tell Atlas and Saharan Atlas mountains.
JAC reaches France
30 Jun 2022
JAC has left Havant and flown 315 km (196 miles) south-south east, crossing the Channel and arriving in France. The most recent update from his tag showed him in woodland to the north of Fontaine-la-Guyon in the Eure-et-Loire department of northern France.
JAC visits Havant
23 Jun 2022
Since our last update JAC has reached Havant on the south coast of England. The last transmission showed him between Nevill's Park and the Fat Face distribution centre. We are due another transmission soon, will he still be touring Havant or will he be in France? Last year he arrived in northern France on 24 June and remained here for approximately a month.
JAC is back!
29 Apr 2022
New updates that came in at around 6am this morning show that JAC has flown the remaining 582 km (362 miles) from France back to his breeding grounds in north Wales. The most recent update showed that he was within a mile of his tagging location. So if over the next few weeks you find yourself in the World's End area of Denbighshire, between Llangollen and Wrexham, be sure to listen out for the call of the Cuckoo, it might just be JAC!
JAC moves north in Spain
19 Apr 2022
Llangollen Cuckoo JAC has flown a further 84 Km (53 miles) north and is now in the Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park in the province of Jaen in Spain. This is the largest protected area in Spain and is also a Special Protection Area for migratory birds.
JAC arrives in Spain
13 Apr 2022
JAC didn't hang around for long in Morocco, by yesterday afternoon he was on the move again, crossing the Mediterranean. At 19:00 last night he was close to Berja in Andalusia, southern Spain. He pressed on and by 21:55 last night he was in the Sierra de Baza mountains approximately 20 Km south west of the city of Baza in Granada.
JAC completes his desert crossing
11 Apr 2022
After completing his crossing of the Sahara, JAC has spent the last 24 hours in northern Morocco. He is now approximately 15 km east of the city of Nador, hopefully enjoying some good feeding on the farmland close to the shores of the Mar Chica lagoon.
JAC takes on the Sahara
10 Apr 2022
Over the last few days Llangollen Cuckoo JAC has made his move north across the mighty Sahara. Since our last update he has flown 2,670 km (1,659 miles) north from Ivory Coast to his latest position in north western Algeria. At 21:00 last night he was still over the desert approaching the border between Algeria and Morocco. Light southerly winds in this area will hopefully help JAC safely on his way to northern Morocco or Algeria or even southern Europe where he can stop for a well-deserved rest.
JAC reaches Ivory Coast
22 Mar 2022
Over the past week we have received several high quality signals that show that JAC has now made his way to Ivory Coast, albeit at a more leisurely pace than we originally thought! JAC is now in eastern Ivory Coast approximately 107km (66 miles) north east of the capital Yamoussoukro and 89km east of Cuckoo PJ.
Update on JAC's location
15 Mar 2022
It appears that the previous transmission from JAC's tag which placed him in Ivory Coast was erroneous as a more recent update showed him in Cameroon, followed by Nigeria. The latest update suggests he is in south eastern Nigeria, approximately 45km north west of the city of Enugu. We expect him to continue moving West over the coming days.
JAC pops up in Ivory Coast
27 Feb 2022
We last heard from JAC on 20 January when he was deep in the Congo Basin. A new update received at 07:16 this morning suggest that he has moved 3,058km (1,900 miles) west to Ivory Coast. He is approximately 70km west of Lake Bandama in central Ivory Coast.
JAC crosses into Congo
07 Jan 2022
New updates received from JAC's tag last night show that he has flown 195km (121 miles) north west from DRC, over the border into the Republic of the Congo. He is now in the north eastern corner of the vast Lake Télé Community Reserve, an area of approximately 4,389 square km (1,695 sq miles) of inaccessible swamp forest in northeastern Republic of the Congo. Is this the first leg of JAC's journey North? Stay tuned to find out!
JAC crosses the Congo River
02 Nov 2021
Over the last few days Llangollen Cuckoo JAC has left the Republic of the Congo, flying 235 km (146 miles) east into the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is now 40 km (24 miles) north of Lake Tumba and within the Tumba-Ngiri-Maindombe wetlands, the largest Wetland of International Importance in the world. He is within a vast area of moist tropical forest covering an area more than twice the size of Belgium.
JAC flies to the Congo
12 Oct 2021
Over the last few days JAC has flown 866 Km (538 miles) south east from Cameroon to the Republic of Congo. He is now deep within the Congo rainforest, close to the Likouala River, a tributary of the Congo.
JAC crosses into Cameroon
06 Oct 2021
New updates from JAC's tag received between 05:25 and 09:17 yesterday morning (Tuesday 5 October) show that JAC has flown 745 Km (463 miles) south east from Nigeria to Cameroon. He is now just east of Bafoussam, a city in the highlands of western Cameroon.
JAC pushes further into Nigeria
22 Aug 2021
Since our last update, JAC has flown 357 Km (222 miles) south east into central Nigeria. He is now 200 Km north of the capital Abuja and just 55 Km south of Worcestershire Cuckoo Calypso.
JAC moves to Nigeria via Niger and Benin
03 Aug 2021
Since leaving Burkina Faso, it looks as if JAC has been on a mission to tick off as many countries as possible over the last few days. In the space of 187 Km, he has visited Benin, Niger, and Nigeria. He is now in north west Nigeria.
JAC heads east
29 Jul 2021
In the early hours of this morning JAC flew 185Km (115 miles) east into the Kantchari department of eastern Burkina Faso, close to the border with Niger. He is now in the W National Park (so called because it is situated around a meander in the River Niger shaped like the letter W). This is the largest remaining wilderness in Burkina Faso, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site containing three RAMSAR wetlands of international importance and three BirdLife International Important Bird Areas. The park has areas in Niger, Burkina Faso and Benin and covers some 10,000km2 (3,900 sq miles) of largely uninhabited land. It is known for its large mammals which include some of West Africa's last wild African elephant, packs of the endangered West African wild dog and is one of the last strongholds of the Northwest African cheetah. It is also a great place for birds, especially migrants and over 350 species have been identified here. JAC will be in some very interesting company!
JAC restless in Burkina Faso
28 Jul 2021
Since arriving in Burkina Faso JAC has flown 98km (60 miles) south east, into the Yamba department of Burkina Faso and he is currently close to the town of Yamba. The tempertaure there today is 24° with a high probability of thundery heavy showers.
JAC has conquered the Sahara
27 Jul 2021
By 7pm last night Llangollen Cuckoo JAC had covered the remaining 560Km over the Sahara in southern Mali and had arrived in Burkina Faso. At 9pm last night he was close to the town of Bogande in the Gnagna Province of eastern Burkina Faso. He was 155Km (95 miles) north east of the capital Ouagagougou. JAC joins AJ, Ellis and Calypso as the first four tagged Cuckoos to successfully complete their desert crossing this year. 2,200 km currently separates AJ in Mali in the west from Ellis in Nigeria.
JAC is crossing the Sahara
26 Jul 2021
JAC has made a big movement over the last few days and by 18:45 on Friday night he was in or around the Hoggar mountains in the central Sahara, southern Algeria. The highest peak in this mountain range, Mount Tahat, is 2,908 m (9,541 ft) high. Isn't it extraordinary to think of the sorts of landscapes our Cuckoos pass through on their incredible journeys? By 09:23 Saturday morning, he had made it as far as eastern Mali. In his journey from Spain he has so far covered 2,608 km (1,620 miles) and he looks as if he will finish his desert crossing in south west Niger or possibly Burkina Faso. The next update will hopefully show that he has successfully completed his desert crossing.
JAC conquers the Pyrenees
22 Jul 2021
A series of updates from JAC's tag arrived last night showing that by 19:33 he had flown 672Km (418 miles) south from his last location near Maintenon, France, over the border into Spain. He was on the slopes of the Sierra de Manga mountain range, close to the village of Ainet de Besan. He was approximately 8Km north east of the town of Llavorsi. Subsequent, low quality signals showed him pressing on further and by 23:25 last night he was 25Km north west of Barcelona. Will he carry on to Africa from here, or stop for a rest? Stay tuned to find out.
JAC moves south
29 Jun 2021
Since crossing the Channel JAC has flown a further 133 km (83 miles) south east and has spent the last few days around Maintenon, approximately 64km south west of Paris.
JAC makes it to France
25 Jun 2021
Having spent a few days near Barnard's Green in Worcestershire, JAC has flown 340 km (211 miles) south-east across the English Channel, arriving in Normandy yesterday morning. He is close to Saint-Nicolas-de-la-Taille.
Introducing JAC
17 Jun 2021
Top BTO tagger Lee Barber arrived to find BTO Cymru colleague Kelvin Jones already on site, with the nets up and a recently caught Meadow Pipit and female Sparrowhawk ready to ring. Once these had been processed they switched their Cuckoo tape on and this generated instant interest from a nearby Cuckoo. After a few passes, JAC was in the net. JAC is still near his tagging location north of Llangollen.
Meet the 2021 Cuckoos
17 Jun 2021
After being unable to tag any Cuckoos in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, we are delighted to be able to introduce eleven new Cuckoos this year!
The tagging teams faced some very early starts as usual to tag the Cuckoos, but they were rewarded with birds who were interested enough in the female lure to be caught, weighed and tagged (with the exception of a location near Loch Katrine where there were a number of female Cuckoos around, making our lure less convincing!).
Some of these newly-tagged birds have already begun their migration south, with one in France, one in the Netherlands and one of the Scottish birds is already down in Essex.
Keep an eye on the individual birds' blogs for updates on their progress.