This Week's Update Includes:

• News: Streaming Along the Atlantic
• Comparing Flyways: Tagging Data Reveal Chances
• The Migration: Maps and Journal

"Thousands at an oceanside park in Kittery Point, Maine. It was like being in a dream sequence. Nature at its most amazing!" 9/16/12 Kittery, ME

"On a whale watch trip monarchs fluttered around us even when we were 10 miles off shore..."9/16/12 Rye, NH

"There was a strong northwest wind and the constant flow of monarchs was amazing. In 4 hours approximately 3000 monarchs gracefully flew over the ocean, the beach, the roads and the sand dunes." 9/16/12 Gilgo Beach, NY

"While walking along the surfline, two monarchs flew past us, coming in east off the Atlantic ocean! Both immediately dropped, exhausted, onto the damp sand and proceeded to 'puddle' for moisture." 9/10/12 Ocean City, MD

Comparatively Quiet
Have you noticed? This season's peak reports have been concentrated along the Atlantic Ocean, as the peak migration map shows. Monarchs appear to be relatively scarce in the central flyway of the Midwest, the region where monarchs are usually most numerous.

• Is the monarch population truly as small as it seems?

In December, scientists in Mexico will make their annual measurements. We will see how this year's monarch numbers compare to those in years past.

Tagging Data Reveal Chances
Every fall thousands of people tag butterflies for the Monarch Watch program. Tagging data let us compare the likelihood of reaching Mexico from different regions.

Overall, roughly 1 in 100 monarchs tagged in eastern North America is recovered in Mexico. Recovery rates vary depending upon where the butterflies were tagged. As shown on this graphic, monarchs tagged on the eastern coasts have an extremely low recovery rate.

Challenges for Eastern Flyway Monarchs
Three factors make migration from the eastern flyway more difficult than from the central flyway:

1. Longer distances
2. Westerly winds
3. Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico