Date: 10/20/2007

Number: 1

Chasing monarchs in anticipation of catching the migration’s leading edge, Carol Cullar, director of the Rio Bravo Nature Center, traveled about Maverick County near Eagle Pass, Texas. “These winds this year are acting like a spigot turned off and on. Rather than a daily flow, we're getting dribs and drabs. Past years have consisted of long, continuous streamers of monarchs persisting for days from the same direction, down the same corridor. This could be the briefest monarch passage we've had in years.”

The following is a collection of daily observations. See what you can learn about monarch migration in Texas through Carol Cullar's eyes. Also, find out what she learned this year!

October 15th through 19
Carol watched, waited--and drove throughout the county to inspect areas where monarchsare usually abundant at this time of year. To her dismay, there substantial sightings until....

October 18
"At 10:45 a.m. Art Oyervides called the Rio Bravo Nature Center to report that he had monarchs streaming above his country store. Clusters formed in the trees behind his house that evening. (Later, on the morning of the 20th, I would count about 200 at that site.)"

October 20
"Today was fabulous! Started off with 200 monarchs in the trees down the road, proceeded with 60 or so monarchs per minute on the Cunningham Ranch; and during the canoe trip of 15 miles, there was a continuous stream across the river. Probably saw between 500 and 700 to be conservative. Our canoes and the monarchs were fighting a stiff SE wind gusting up to 35mph. Heaviest flow around 8:45 at the trees around the ranch house. 30 in view at any one time. There were easily another 500-600 at the Salvadore Gonzalez country home under massive native trees. This is the spot I call "The Cathedral." Monarchs drifting wall to wall in the 100s as they settle into clusters. It will be interesting to see what the monarchs do tomorrow if and when the front comes through. It could blow them all out of here. I hope there are more riding the wind in."

October 22

"They are definitely being blown into Mexico today! What a difference a North front makes! The trees on the bluff where we saw about 3,000 yesterday morning/afternoon had only 2 monarchs an hour ago. Rough winds to 35 mph from the NW. (But there is no moisture to speak of.) Temps 67 now from a low of 57 last night.
Our count yesterday was around 6000 in just 2 locations. Either the neck of
the funnel got split early on and sent 1000s out through Midland, TX, or there
will be a continuous trickle down from parts NE of here. I'd speculated with Randy Laurence that they could be tightly bunched and blow through very quickly, rather than trickle through for the next 3 weeks. I'll know tonight
what this front did.I just had a long report from a ranch 35 mi. NE of Del Rio where their entire canyon was filled with possibly 10s of thousands last year and this year they had scant 100s."

October 23
" Brrrrrrrrrr! I forgot and left the kitchen door open all night. It's only 39.1 dF here this morning after the front came through yesterday (10/22/07). I'm back from checking roosts this morning at 5:30 am, but nary a monarch in any of the traditional cluster sites within a mile east or west of my house 12 mi. N of Eagle Pass, Tx. I sat outside just before dusk yesterday and saw only 1 monarch keeping low in the trees and trying to move west against the N wind. Also one Queen apparently migrating as well. This could be the briefest monarch passage we've had in years. I'm anxious to hear from Harlen and Altus to hear if they are doing any good down on the Coast."

October 23rd on the Texas Coast
Exactly as Carol predicted, a huge surge came down the coast beginning on the 23rd and lasting through the 25th.

Eagle Pass, TX

Latitude: 28.6 Longitude: -100.3

Observed by:
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