Date: 10/15/2012

Number: 500

Today was the biggest Monarch flight day of the fall here so far.  There had been small numbers a week ago, maybe 5 a day, but today was a constant light stream for several hours of passage.

I'd say I saw at least 500 Monarch marching southbound, in half the day.  I saw 100 per hour for 3 hours, and less than that for 3 or more. Often five at once in a binocular field of view, or scope field of view, or in a 30 degree 5 second pan of horizon.  There were hundreds that went by, due south. They were beating tracks and, since it was coolish with high overcast thermals were limited, they were working.

What I don't know is how big a swath they were occupying. I was only looking east from my place, so can't say if or not as many were going by behind me to the west where I don't have good visibility. And at that really only scanning 45 degrees or so of open space where I can see some distance eastward.  Was using scope and binocs both, and based on how whenever I got a group of migrating vultures and hawks I would spot some way way up in binocs, I'm sure many more were going over out of bare-eyed view.

As I was mostly trying to see hawks, the Monarchs were easy to spot against that perfect ground glass sky here today.  I spotted some up a thousand feet, and more, at the limit of binocular spotting. I'm up on
a ridge a couple hundred feet above valley floor so many were going by just a hundred or two feet up, likely not visible from down in town as they move down the divide at the edge of the valley.

The crop this year seems very beat and worn, more so than normal.  Almost all of those I've seen nectaring or roosting at the woods in Utopia park have been shredded, in very poor condition, the best are very worn and pale.  Yes, some are always, but this year it is a higher percentage.  I thought a higher number were flapping faster than normal, presumedly due to torn up wings.

There were hundreds of Monarchs and thousands of Snout.  Today the Monarchs were flying due south, the Snouts due north.  Last week you could tell the Snouts from the Monarchs as the Monarchs
go west or west-southwest, and the Snouts east. 

It was a major post-frontal parade today.  It was goin' on.

Mitch Heindel

Utopia Nature

Utopia, TX

Latitude: 29.6 Longitude: -99.6

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