Sayaan was named after Cuckoo funder Anne Master's new baby cousin. Sayaan is an old Saka name, Saka being the region of Siberia that his mum comes from, and it means “kind, generous and warm like the sun”.
Tagged : Thu, May 18, 2023 - 05:00
Age when found : Adult
Tagging Location : Knepp Estate, Sussex
Wing Length (mm) : 221
Sex : Male
Sayaan's journey from 18th May 2023 to 19th June 2025
Updates on Sayaan 's movements
Sayaan's Swiss swoop
Since our last update, just three days ago, Sayaan has continued heading east and has covered a further 680 km (420 miles). He flew over Geneva, Switzerland and crossed the Alps near Mont Blanc, before dropping into Italy. He then headed to the coast and spent some time around Genoa prior to making his way past Pisa.
He is currently in central Italy on the Umbria / Tuscany border. Sayaan is considerably further into his migratory journey than he was at this time last year!
Sayaan swoops eastwards
Sayaan has really taken flight and in the last couple of days and has headed 660 km (410 miles) determinedly south-east from West Sussex, and on into the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France, close to the Swiss border.
Tagged back in early June 2023, this is the third time that we will be able to follow Sayaan’s post-breeding migration!
Sayaan sails into Sussex
Hot on the heels of Cores and Wilfrid, Sayaan is the third of our tagged Cuckoos to return to his breeding area this spring.
Having made his way through the Italian Alps from Genoa, via Turin, in recent days, he then took off through France in a north-westerly direction, passing Paris and heading directly for The Channel. Around 7.30 this morning (25) he flew over Worthing and continued inland and is currently just south-west of Horsham, West Sussex.
He is in the same region where he was tagged in 2023 and where he also spent last summer.
Sayaan says 'salve'!
Since our last update just two days ago, Sayaan has flown more than 2,000 km (1,242 miles) from central Algeria, to southern Italy. He is the only one of our current crop of tagged Cuckoos to take an easterly route.
He is currently in an area dominated by lush woodland, in the hills just 35 km (21 miles) west of Genoa.
Sayaan's Saharan sojourn
After a while gathering strength in the forests of Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Sayaan has now set off across the Sahara. Our most recent signal was received on Sunday (11) afternoon, and showed him to be in central Algeria, close to the oasis town of Aïn Salah, the capital of In Salah Province.
Taking a slightly different route from last spring, when he took a more westerly path through Western Sahara and Morocco, it will be interesting to see where he crosses into Europe this year.
Sayaan springs into action
Sayaan has finally made a move, leaving his wintering grounds in the dense rainforests of the Congo basin. In just a few days, he rapidly flew over 2,000 km (1,240 miles) to the south-west Nigerian coast.
After a brief stop on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, he has now moved a further 470 km (292 miles) into central Ghana.
Sayaan springs into action
Sayaan has finally made a move, leaving his wintering grounds in the dense rainforests of the Congo basin. In just a few days, he rapidly flew over 2,000 km (1,240 miles) to the south-west Nigerian coast.
After a brief stop on the outskirts of Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, he has now moved a further 470 km (292 miles) into central Ghana.
Sayaan's significant shift
After several weeks deep in the swampy forests near the Maringa River in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sayaan appears to have become a little restless.
In the last month, he has covered some distance, first flying 420 km (260 miles) north-west to the border of the Republic of the Congo, before heading a further 230 km (143 miles) south-west to the expansive Likouala Aux Herbes River.
Is he gearing up for a rapid move north?
Sayaan hits the Sahel
Since our last update, when Sayaan was in the Jalo oasis area of northern Libya, he has flown a further 1,766 km (1,097 miles) across the desert and is currently in east Chad.
He has reached the Sahel region, where he can hopefully rest and feed a little before continuing south. At 8.03 this morning (24 July) he was close to the western border of Sudan and just north of the city of Abéché, the fourth largest city in Chad.
Sayaan's southern surge
After a lengthy rest in central Italy, Sayaan has clearly felt the urge to get a move on in recent days.
He has now crossed the Mediterranean and is currently in northeastern Libya, in the Al Wahat District in the Jalo oasis, and about to commence his epic Sahara crossing.
When, and where, will he arrive on the other side?
Sayaan heads through Italy
In the past week, Sayaan has moved further into Italy.
Having lingered around the Province of Parma, he then flew 310 km (192 miles), passing Florence and Assisi and is now in the Perugia region of Umbria.
Sayaan moves eastwards
Since our last update on 27 June, Sayaan has moved a little way in recent days.
Moving approximately 116 km (72 miles) to the east, he is now in the lush rolling hills of the Province of Parma in the Italian region, Emilia-Romagna.
Sayaan swoops southwards
Since leaving the Dijon area in western France a few days ago, Sayaan has flown some 463 km (287 miles), skirting Switzerland, and crossing into Italy just to the west of Turin.
He is now in the Piedmont region, just north of Genoa, from where his next move should see him heading south through Italy and on towards the Mediterranean.
Sayaan sets south
Sayaan is making steady progress and has travelled around 167 km (103 miles) in recent days.
Currently in the Côte-d’Or area, he is exploring a commercially forested area just 16 km (10 miles) to the west of the city of Dijon, the capital city of the Burgundy region of eastern France.
Sayann says ‘so long’ to Sussex
Having spent the breeding season in and around the Knepp Estate in West Sussex, Sayaan has now headed south. He left the English coast at Worthing on the exact same date as he did last year!
He cut across the Channel and arrived in France, just south of Dieppe after a journey of 380 km (236 miles). Sayaan then continued towards Paris, skirting the north-east of the French capital, and is currently just north of the city of Sens.
Remarkably, Sayaan is now around just 50km (31 miles) to the west of Cuach Torc!
Sayaan swoops into Sussex
Since our last update two days ago, Sayaan has covered the last 385km (239 miles) to his summer residence in West Sussex. Making a direct flight north east, he cut across Normandy before crossing The Channel and arriving in the UK near Worthing.
He is currently back at the Knepp Estate, where he was originally tagged. Since leaving the UK on 19 June 2023 Sayaan has taken a wide circular route which has seen him pass through a remarkable 21 countries!
Sayaan surges on
Sayaan has now crossed from Spain into France and is currently near the small picturesque town of La Gacilly, in Brittany.
He avoided a Pyranees crossing, taking a direct route from the north Spanish coast across the Bay of Biscay and arriving in the Parc Naturel Régional de Brière, by the Loire estuary, covering some 656km (407 miles).
Sayaan has France in sight
After several days in the Andújar area, Sayaan has flown approximately 450km (280 miles) north to a mountainous region close to the town of Tarazona.
He is just 66km (41 miles) to the south of Trent and is headed for the French border. With favourable winds forecast, he could make good progress in the next couple of days.
Really Sayaan something...
In the past couple of days, Sayaan has flown north, leaving the Atlas Mountains, flying 340km (211 miles) to the Moroccan coast close to the small town of Bnir Bouzra.
From here he has continued another 350km (217 miles) across the Mediterranean, passing by the Spanish coastal resort of Malaga, and onwards up to Parque Natural Sierra de Andújar, a region renowned as a stronghold for Iberian Lynx.
Sayaan has head for heights
From his last stop just into Western Sahara, close to the Mauritanian border, Sayaan has flown 717km (445 miles) to the central Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
He is currently in an area just east of the small town of Imilchil.
Sayaan says 'sayonara' to Ivory Coast
Along with Cuckoos KP and Joe, Sayaan has spent a few weeks in the south-eastern region of the Ivory Coast, and like them has now sprung northwards.
In a journey that has covered around 2,184km (1,357miles) he has already crossed the bulk of the Sahara Desert and is now in Western Sahara, heading for Morroco.
Sayaan reaches Ivory Coast
Sayaan was clearly just passing through Nigeria as new updates show that he pressed on to Ivory Coast.
He is now in south-eastern Ivory Coast, close to the village of Kotogwanda and just 100km north-west of Cuckoo KP.
Sayaan moving West
Over the last few days Sayaan has left his wintering grounds in the Congo Basin and flown almost 2,000km (1,243 miles) north and west to his new location in southern Nigeria.
He is now just north of Mahin Lake in the southern part of Ondo State. It'll be interesting to see if he stays here or continues west to join Trent and KP in Ivory Coast or Guinea.
Sayaan still in DRC
Sayaan has spent the winter so far in the Congo Basin close to the Maringa River in north-central Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). We expect him to start moving West soon.
Sayaan nudges south in the Congo
Sayaan moves south
Sayaan has flown 350km (217 miles) south-west from Chad to Central African Republic (CAR).
He is now 13km north east of the town of N'Délé in CAR.
Sayaan moves into Sudan
Sayaan has crossed the Sahara
We are pleased to report that Sayaan has made it across the Sahara. New updates from his tag this morning show that he has flown 1,225 km (761 miles) from the Tibesti mountains in southern Libya to his new location in the south-eastern corner of Chad.
He is now in the wetter and greener environs of the Sahel where he will hopefully be able to find plenty of food to help him recover from his long journey.
Sayaan is crossing the Sahara
Sayaan has left Italy and by Sunday afternoon he had crossed the Mediterranean and reached northern Libya.
By the time of his last transmission just after 19:30 last night (Monday 24 July) he had flown 843 km (524 miles) south through the Libyan Sahara and reached the northern edge of the remote and very inaccessible Tibesti mountain range.
He is close to Bette Peak, the highest mountain in Libya at 2,266 metres (7,434 ft).
Hopefully when we next hear from him, he will have completed his desert crossing and will be refuelling in the Sahel.
Sayaan moves south in Italy
New updates received from Sayaan’s tag early this morning show that he has flown 378 km (235 miles) south-east through Italy. After a brief stop close to Lake Trasimeno in Umbria, he moved on to his current location in the province of Rieti.
He is now just south-east of the town of Norcia, within the national parks of Mont Sibillini and Gran Sasso, and Monti della Laga. These national parks form one of the largest protected areas in Europe, with mountains, forests, river valleys and abundant biodiversity.
Sayaan moves east in northern Italy
Sayaan has completed his crossing of the Gulf of Genoa, and made landfall this morning in Italy, close to the town of Ferriere, in the Province of Piacenza in the region Emilia-Romagna. He is currently on the slopes above the valley of the river Nure.
Sayaan reaches northern Italy
Over the last couple of days, Sayaan has made rapid progress south through France and over the border into Italy. By around 5 p.m. last night, he had reached Finale Ligure on the Gulf of Genoa, part of the Italian Riviera.
He didn’t stop there for long, however, as our last few data points show him out to sea, heading across the Gulf of Genoa towards the town of Sestri Levante in eastern Liguria.
It’ll be interesting to see whether he stops on the Mediterranean side or moves across to the Adriatic, as Torc has done over the last few hours.
Sayaan sets off
Knepp Cuckoo Sayaan is the third of our tagged Cuckoos to depart our shores, crossing the Channel to France over the weekend.
He has flown 500 km (310 miles) south-east from his last location near Findon in West Sussex, taking him to the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France. On Saturday evening he was in a forest just to the north of the town of Montbard on the river Brenne.
Sayaan moves south
Sayaan has followed the lead of our other Knepp Cuckoo Bluey and moved approximately 17 km (10 miles) south. After a few days close to Worthing Crematorium, Sayaan appears to have moved east towards the Devil’s Dyke area of the South Downs, close to Brighton.