Date: 10/24/2007

Number: 1

My wife Altus said there were more monarchs than she had ever seen. Fantastic numbers between 2-4pm 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!
Nine photos 40/50 kb: http://mcmc.homestead.com/oct2407.html

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.

Also, got a call before six from a farm west of town of a large cluster in a hackberry tree.

Earlier today (morning):
At least twice the number this morning and there is a countable flow of monarchs coming from the NE. They are coming off the Alcoa bluff and from across the lagoon but staying low ... sometimes three and five only five to ten feet apart ... this is when it is fun!

Best 1 hour avg on east side of peninsula would
give 300 per hour

Best 1 hour avg on west side of peninsula would
give 100 per hour

So about 400 per hour are coming down the peninsula and crossing Lavaca Bay Causeway from what I can see. Last year I would have used just the 300.

On my last crossing of the 3.1 mile causeway, I counted
24 monachs forty feet up at the level of the traffic. At every traffic light in town monarchs were floating by.

After I get something to eat and run some errands I'll be back. 81 dF, wind NW @ 15 mph, ultra clear, humidity 23%.
Supposed to be at least one more day like this.

Port Lavaca Causeway, TX

Latitude: 28.7 Longitude: -96.6

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