Date: 11/11/2016

Number: 100

Counted 100+ throughout the day 9:15am - 5:30 pm. I was outside most of the day doing ranch work - occasionally taking a break to look up. Spotted most of the 50+ feet high with my binos. Some were higher than the turkey vultures and migrating Sandhill cranes.

Additional notes sent 11/16/16: My husband, Mom and I spotted the monarchs with my swarovski binoculars. The markings were clear. My mom and I have  raised monarchs before so we are very familiar with the difference.  There were some queens and other species in the mix but the monarchs did stand out. Here is a picture from the weekend of November 12.

I too was surprised to see them this late in the season. In fact, I had quit looking for them thinking they didn't migrate through here this year. We had a northerner push through on Tuesday (Election Day 11/8/16) so my husband and I were looking for migratory birds when we noticed the monarchs! When we had the chance to sit and observe we were spotting 1 about every 5-10 seconds on the following dates:  Nov 8; Nov 9: Nov 11; and Nov 12.  They were moving FAST in the upper currents. I spotted some catching thermals for lift and then they would take off. I wish I was able to get better pics but they were extremely high. My best guess is most were 100+ feet high. Hundreds of them each day. Here are some of the pics (sorry for the poor quality). I'm also attaching my migratory bird sightings (from the same dates), as signs of fall. I even spotted a pair of whooping crane families but unfortunately I don't have a pic of that lotto ticket. Despite that fact, I am still overjoyed with that sighting as you can imagine!  I'm always eyes to the sky!  We have another northerner coming on Friday (November 18th).  Fingers crossed  I'll have more sightings to submit!!

Natalia, TX

Latitude: 29.2 Longitude: -98.9

Observed by: Patricia
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