Date: 10/07/2010

Number: 1

Oct 7, 8am-noon Chincoteague NWR, Assateague Island, VA

Monarchs were still present in large numbers. The wind this morning was WSW at 4-8mph, low enough windspeed that monarchs could fly against it. However, they seem not to be migrating today. They are congregating in the stands of seaside goldenrod that are protected from the wind by taller vegetation (bayberry and groundsel-tree).

Good news-- I stood on the beach for 15 minutes and saw 5 monarchs per minute flying in to shore from out over the ocean. When I followed them with binoculars, I saw them land in the nearest stand of seaside goldenrod. I was able to pluck them off with my hand, tag them and set them right back on the flowers, where they stayed and continued nectaring.

Low tide is at 2:35pm, so I am off to check the ocean beach for any monarchs that may have washed up. More later.

Oct 7, 2:30-5:30pm, Chincoteague NWR, Assateague Island, VA

Monarchs continued to nectar in the seaside goldenrod; tagged monarchs had not moved from the plants they were on this morning. The wind speed increased to 13-16mph WSW and I observed a dozen or so monarchs leave their perches and get blown down to the ocean edge, but they were able (with constant flapping) to make their way back to vegetation. I walked about 2 miles south toward the hook and checked all the patches of seaside goldenrod in the remaining interdune areas, and there were several hundred more monarchs hunkered down in those spots. At 5:30 the wind decreased a bit, and I watched the ocean for a while to see if any monarchs would return to shore. I didn't see any, but I was surprised to see dozens of green darner dragonflies returning to shore.

Earlier today I spoke with my friend Dick Roberts who is the local birdbander, and he told me that some of the smaller songbirds also get blown out to sea on days with strong west winds. He sets up his mist nets to capture them as they make landfall. Just as the monarchs use up fat in their constant flapping to get back to land, so do the songbirds. Dick checks for fat on the abdomen of the birds by blowing on their belly feathers. The skin is transparent and you can see if the birds have any yellow fat or not. The birds that have been out over the ocean are lean, with no fat at all. So, monarchs are not the only ones who suffer on days with strong west winds over this island.

Since I am always in view of visitors, I am often approached by curious people wanting to know what I am doing. The interpretive naturalist in me will not let me pass up an opportunity to tell the monarch's story, so I spend a lot of time talking with people. Today a woman asked me what kind of fish I was catching with my long-handled net. When I told her I was netting monarchs, tagging and releasing them, I thought she would ask to see the tags (most people do). Instead she said "what is a monarch?" Needless to say, we had a nice long chat.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Assateague Island, VA

Latitude: 38 Longitude: -75.3

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