Date: 09/29/2012

Number: 2

9/29 at 8am (heavy cloud cover, temp 65, wind NNW at 8mph, showers in the forecast)

The wind finally changed and the small roosts of monarchs on Chincoteague Island were able to leave. I watched as one of the monarchs I had tagged on Thursday lifted off and (with constant flapping) successfully made the crossing over the Chincoteague Channel.

Since this wind direction blows monarchs out to the ocean's edge, I headed out to the beach on Assateague and saw that monarchs were already migrating. This was not a huge wave, but constant at about 2 monarchs per minute. Most flew about 50-75 feet above the sand. The wind speed was light enough so that the monarchs did not get blown out over the ocean. As I have seen many times in the past, they were facing SW but being blown sideways while they flapped to stay true to their course. The flight pattern reminded me of that of a sharp-shinned hawk-- flap-flap-flap-glide, flap-flap-flap-glide. So it wasn't the easy soaring flight the monarchs enjoy on a NE or N wind.

There is some good news to report. The wide expanses of open beach where the ocean breached the dune and overwashed into the cove are narrower this year. (In past years, these areas were wide, barren areas with no wind buffer and monarchs got blown out to sea). Last winter's storms must have deposited an unusually large amount of sand which has built up the existing dunes and created new ones. Today the monarchs were flying over the narrow overwash areas without difficulty. Even if the wind picks up speed, I think they will be able navigate these areas with some additional flapping.

The bad news is that there were just as many monarchs heading north up the cove shoreline as there were monarchs heading south along the ocean shore. So somewhere between me and the elbow of Tom's hook the monarchs were turning around. The wind direction and speed would normally take them right off the island, but for some reason they were not leaving land. The only thing I can think of is that they just didn't have enough fat reserves and they were back-tracking to look for nectar sources. The problem is-- the seaside goldenrod is not in bloom yet. The plants look stressed, with the bottom half of the stems' leaves brown and crispy. The plants really need a good soaking rain to stimulate the flower buds to open. If the monarchs keep heading north about another half mile, they will find some groundsel-tree bushes to nectar on. If the wind remains the same all day, there might be a roost near or in those bushes this evening.

Chincoteague, VA

Latitude: 37.9 Longitude: -75.3

Observed by: Denise
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