Date: 10/24/2007

Number: 10000

October 24
Got a call before six from a farm west of town of a large cluster in a hackberry tree. On the causeway, my wife Altus said there were more monarchs than she had ever seen. Fantastic numbers between 2-4 pm falling out in the area. I started out across the causeway when I went back and counted 89 monarchs coming at me in the first mile and then just quit counting.

We saw clusters forming up on everything that could support monarchs, starting about 3:30. Some clusters two to three
hundred and still growing. You couldn't drive along the beach road at more than a crawl because of the cloud of monarchs in the grass and dead sunflowers along the edge. Some snapshots from earlier in the afternoon that just didn't do justice to the event! Salt cedar and false willow are both blooming. Some queens in the clusters, to be expected, but I could see some buckeyes in with the monarchs ... not sure about that!

One of my ex-students with TxDOT stopped by at the causeway to be see if I was over there or he was going to call me to tell me the monarchs had arrived. The wind really stiffened from the NW after 1:00 and is out of the NE right now, not sure what that means for tomorrow. At least we had two great days.

October 25
Flow continues…Best hourly avg 800+. Best 5 min 331 at 1:30

Really large cluster/roost. The morning warmup took quite awhile and new arrivals were there before yesterday's crowd wanted to go. By noon it was a parade of monarchs coming by and over. The times I went across the causeway I wondered why there wasn't a wreck. There would be what I would estimate to be a hundred monarchs in a space the size of my bedroom enjoying a pillow of air. I've only seen it like this one other time ...

Some really nice clusters/roosts formed just before sundown.
Altus is really good when it comes to spotting a large amount of orange! Not sure why most had their wings open, just did.
Biggest cluster we have ever seen, in the middle of a "round", formed by mostly salt cedar, a couple of mesquite, and a hackberry ... that amphitheatre we always hear that they will find ...The wind is changing and so may be the fun, may be one more day ...

October 26

Early liftoff of clusters ... area cleared before 8:00 but new flow had already opened. Best count so far 12:00 to 12:30: half hour of 1,156 for hourly of 2,312. Best 1 minute count was 43. Best count crossing the 3.1 mile causeway, 194 in 5 minutes. It was like this at 8:00 and was getting better at 12:00, the calm wind may make a difference this afternoon. Same location near TX35, Alcoa Bluff, and north end of peninsula to Lavaca Bay Causeway, ... same place, same way as last year.I can see a width of about 300' and an altitude about 200'.

I crossed over to west side and got into the stream ... they were coming from 65 deg and leaving out across the bay to245 deg. I could see twenty coming and twenty lined up out across the bay. Checked with binoculars, there are a few above 200', the most action is in the lower 100' and I can see that without binocs. Many other butterflies showing up today now that it is calm. Calm, slight whisper out of NW, 76 dF, 18 % humidity, deep clear sky. This is all about to change.

Wind switched from NNW to NNE to E then to SE between 3:30 and 4:30 and the monarchs went away on the east side of the peninsula. There was still a river of monarchs coming off Alcoa bluff, crossing TX 35, and going down the west side. Altus drove over there just before sundown and found that the monarchs were heading across the bay and then returning ... clusters started forming on the west of almost every tree/shrub along the high tide line as far as she could drive. *We went back after dark and the clusters were the largest in size and coverage we had ever seen. * We only drove along about half a mile of the shell road but the clusters kept going on trees/scrubs back towards Point Comfort. Next front Monday, couldn't be any better?

October 27
With the wind turning turning more to the NNE and then NE the monarchs have slowed down or are somewhere's else. Liftoff of the clusters started about sunup this morning and was finished by 8:30. Best hour flyby would avg to 250. Best drive across the causeway/peninsula was a count of 50. Counted 150 nectaring on the peninsula about noon.Predicted to be a stronger NNE to NE wind tomorrow, up to 25 mph, still crystal clear, low humidity, 23% mid day, temp mid 70's.

Editor's Note: This observer did not specify the number of monarchs present, although the roosts appear to have been very large. We are estimating 10,000 butterflies and are marking this record as a JN staff estimate. This estimate is based on fact that this is a very experienced observer in Texas and this was the most he has ever seen. He saw “clusters forming up on everything that could support monarchs” (See the wide variety of snapshots provided.) He witnessed strong migration on the Causeway that went on for 3 days with a flow of 2,312 per hour on one count. Clearly this was a major migration event with a spectacular number of monarchs.

All photos taken on north end of Lavaca Bay Causeway
http://mcmc.homestead.com/oct2407.html
http://mcmc.homestead.com/oct2507am.html
http://mcmc.homestead.com/oct2507pm.html

Port Lavaca, TX

Latitude: 28.6 Longitude: -96.8

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