Date: 10/18/2017

Number: 5000

I reported hundreds and hundreds of monarchs migrating over Guadalupe River State Park on Thursday, October 12. The pace has continued through Wednesday, October 18th, and it seems to be a wide swath from Kerrville through Canyon Lake at least. We conducted a butterfly survey on Sunday the 15th at the adjacent Honey Creek and were seeing them in flowers there and passing overhead all morning long. The only slow day was Monday, the 16th, when the wind was still blowing pretty good -- then it exploded again.

With the front, the wind has been steadily from the north until yesterday (10/19) when it began to turn to the east and southeast. Another front is coming Sunday, October 22nd, I believe.

I kept searching for roosts without success but they were in the park I just couldn't locate them. The monarchs were in the patch by 9 am were still nectaring at sunset.

The number of monarchs is so hard to estimate. Once it really got started on Thursday morning (10/12) the primary flower patch I have been watching, and a smaller one nearby, have been non-stop with at least 30 or so monarchs at any one time all day long. So per hour I estimate at least 100 in just that one patch covering maybe 1,000 square feet. Per day, given the size of the park and the numerous patches, 3,000 to 5,000 at least. I would say I am being very conservative.

This picture is a sample of monarchs we were catching for tagging – 25-30 at a time for three hours nearly.

Guadalupe River State Park, TX

Latitude: 29.9 Longitude: -98.5

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