Date: 10/19/2011

Number: 250

Altus and I started out early this morning seeing monarchs on the peninsula at the north end of the Lavaca Bay Causeway. We had to make a trip to Victoria and saw monarchs all day. When we got home at 3:30 there was a message: "Altus, the monarchs have returned to Port Lavaca!" from a family friend. Back at the peninsula there was a steady stream of monarchs coming out of the ENE. I parked next to the water's edge, looking to the NE, and watched over the steering wheel as they came off the mud flats and passed over the two lanes of white top in front of me at about two feet for as long as I could stay. I leaned back against the headrest, checked the clock to time, and watched intently down the two lanes of the old causeway road. The monarchs came by at about two feet into the strong NW wind and right my door to the WSW ... one a minute, sometimes two, three, and four a minute ... but steady ... averaging just over 90 an hour. I watched over 200 pass me plus saw a dozen nectaring on seaside goldenrod and another dozen on short sunflowers ... clusters tomorrow morning on the saltcedars? Another cold front early next week and might see this many in 30 minutes ... they are stuck between here and Cape May!

Port Lavaca, TX

Latitude: 28.5 Longitude: -96.7

Observed by: Harlen E.
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