Winter over for a homesick cuckoo

Summer has been spotted winging its way to Britain as the first of the British Trust for Ornithology’s satellite-tracked cuckoos has begun its journey north.

PJ was tagged in June 2016 in Suffolk and has now started the 4,000-mile journey from Angola to Gabon, then on to Britain.

Last year, PJ returned on Apr 29 to Suffolk, where it remained throughout the breeding season.

On June 24, it began its migration to Africa for the winter, taking a more central route from the UK to Angola, its most southern point.

The tracking of birds such as PJ has identified Angola as a new wintering location for the species, avoiding the western route along which there was a significant increase in migratory fatalities. In the past 20 years, cuckoo numbers in the UK have fallen by half. You can track PJ on www.bto.org. Samantha Herbert