Date: 09/18/2018

Number: 10000

An amazing event! It started with a major bird migration. I went to the house to grab my binoculars to attempt to identify the birds. I thought I was seeing leaves blowing through my binoculars. I was seeing literally thousands of monarchs riding the winds of a cold front moving through. The majority were gliding in the wind, expending little to no energy. Coming from the northeast to a southwest direction. It’s 5:00 p.m. and some seem to be coming to the ground as I write this. We shall see if they roost here tonight. This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen!!!!

I'm estimating I have been watching for over an hour. My estimate is nowhere scientific. Everywhere I looked with my binoculars, I could see monarchs....not one here and one there, 3-12 in my binocular focal point. Continuous. I live on a high hill, with 360 view. I literally thought they were leaves blowing.

No pics of the monarchs. That would be impossible because 99.9% were not able to be seen with the naked eye. They were very much aloft. But somewhere this evening southwest of me, there will be an amazing roost!

What prompted me to go into the house for my binoculars where hundreds of swallows that were dive bombing my freshly mowed alfalfa. There were many turkey buzzards and unknown raptors aloft which I assume were following the swallows.

The sky was partially cloudy, with clouds that are on the leading edge of a storm. I'm estimating the wind to be 13 mph from the northeast with gusts to 20 mph.

This sighting for me was a very enlightening experience. I learned that monarchs and birds will utilize the leading edge of a front to boost them for many miles - speeding travel and conserving energy.

Editor's Note: The observer’s effort to estimate the number of monarchs in a one-hour continuous flow seems reasonable. The 10,000 per hour estimate would break down to roughly 3 monarchs per second. Here’s the math: 3 monarchs/second X 60 seconds/minute X 60 minutes/hour = 10,800 monarchs per hour.

These weather maps (Map 1, Map 2, Map 3) give a general overview of surface conditions. Their timestamps (4-6 pm ET) are close to the same time of the observation (4-5 pm CT).

Savannah, MO

Latitude: 40 Longitude: -94.9

Observed by: Jim
Contact Observer

The observer's e-mail address will not be disclosed.
Contact will be made through a web-based form.