Joe
Named in honour of the tag sponsor’s late husband, Joe. The couple much enjoyed watching the Cuckoos’ arrival each spring near their home by the River Leach. Initially there would be several birds, but, as time went by there were fewer and fewer, which saddened them greatly.

- Status:
- Active
- Tagged:
- Friday, May 20, 2022 - 06:00
- Tagging Location:
- Cranwich, Norfolk
- Sex:
- Male
- Age when found:
- Adult
- Satellite Tag No.:
- 232670
- Wing Length (mm):
- 228
Joe's journey from 01 May 2024 to 24 April 2025
Joe's movements
25 Apr 2025 - Joe Cool takes it slow
Joe has now left Spain, and is the only one of our tagged Cuckoos to cross over the Pyrenees, though he took it relatively easy by keeping to the west and avoiding the higher mountains! Passing Pamplona and entering south-west France, he is currently in lush farmland in the Nouvelle-Aquitane region.
Tagged in East Anglia back in 2022, he arrived back on his regular breeding grounds on April 29 last year, and on April 24 in 2023. Will we see him back on Norfolk soil this weekend?
14 Apr 2025 - Joe's Iberian jaunt
Less than a week ago, Joe was still sitting tight in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), close to Cuckoo Cleeve. On 10 April we received a signal to say that he’d charged his way north, covering around 4,500 km (2,800 miles) and arriving close to the ancient Spanish city of Toledo, just south of Madrid.
After a couple of days there, he has now moved on, continuing north. Joe is currently making his way through the province of Segovia, in Castile and León.
26 Mar 2025 - Joe’s on the go
Since we last checked in on his movements, Joe has moved west from Ghana and is now in eastern Côte d'Ivoire, approximately 154 km (95 miles) north-east of the capital Yamoussoukro.
Remarkably, he is currently less than 30 km (18 miles) from his cohort companion Cuckoo Cleeve!
11 Mar 2025 - Joe jogs on
In recent days Joe has made remarkable progress, covering some 2,500 km (1,500 miles) from the Democratic Republic of the Congo through to Ghana, passing through five African countries en route.
Presently just about bang in the centre of Ghana, he is in the tropical savannah region, close to a large tributary of the Black Volta river.
14 Feb 2025 - Joe still in the Congo
At this present time, old-timer Joe remains in his wintering grounds in the dense rainforests on the northern edge of the vast Busira River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He was in the same region at this time last year, but had started to move north by the end of the month – will he repeat this move? Tagged in Norfolk in summer 2022, this will be the third spring that we may track his movements north!
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