Date: 10/17/2014

Number: 3

Today while bird training my Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever to point, flush and retrieve, she “discovered” a new pursuit- pointing Monarchs! They were flying close to the ground against moderate south-west winds along the hydro right-of-way which runs SW toward Sixteen Mile Creek and Glen Abbey Golf Course, near my house. They stopped to nectar on Dandelion and “Teva” pointed and held, then “flushed” the 3 Monarchs we saw on our hour walk. Temperature +18 , wind SW @ 25km/h. Daytime temps are to return to more normal around +12 for the next week or so, limiting continued migration.

Teva is an “orange” coloured small retriever, fitting for the time of year and her new Monarch skill. NSDTRs are one of 3 Canadian breeds, for those interested.

I have never seen such a continuous stream, of Monarchs moving west, this late into the season here in Southern Ontario, in all my years of Monarch Watch tagging and observing. Each warm day in the last few weeks I have seen a few still on the move. If only these late stragglers could catch up and add to the overwintering population.

Courtesy of Monarch Watch

Oakville, ON

Latitude: 43.5 Longitude: -79.7

Observed by:
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