Date: 10/06/2013

Number: 1

In 17 years of my monarch study at Chincoteague NWR on south Assateague Island, VA, this is the first year with no (that's a 0) monarchs sighted. The same was true for Chincoteague Island. After the govt. shut-down closed CNWR and Assateague National Seashore, I moved up to north Assateague Island to look for monarchs at the state park. No monarchs were sighted there either. Wind was partly to blame, with most days having winds from the south or east.

With no end of the shut-down in sight, I headed back home this morning. A brief stop on Kent Island at Terrapin Park (just north of the Chesapeake Bay bridge) tuned into a 2-hour visit because migrating monarchs were present. They were following the beach, flying right into a SSW wind at 5mph, at about 15 monarchs per hour. Some monarchs were using the oyster shell hiker/biker path, out of the wind, as a migration path. Other monarchs were not migrating, but were resting in the sand or nectaring on goldenrod and asters. None of the monarchs seen were making the bay crossing, although I did see a few attempt it only to return to shore.

If anyone is on the Eastern shore today, a good place to look for a night roost might be Walnut Point, or any other point near St. Michaels or Cambridge.

And, be sure to keep an eye on Cape May NJ from Tuesday afternoon through Friday. A forecast of NNW winds just may funnel the last migrant monarchs to their coastal location.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Chincoteague NWR, VA

Latitude: 39.2 Longitude: -77.3

Observed by: Denise
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