Date: 09/13/2019

Number: 400

Last nights roost stuck around all day today and are still here at 5:30 pm. There were at least 400 in my river birch tree. My yard has many nectar plants and a pond. They have been here since about 5:30 last night

Editor's note: contacted observer for more details on this sighting

The roost formed here on Friday the 13th with about 70 or so. They started clustering around 5:30. It was hard to tell if there were more because it was on my neighbors side. On Friday we had 3 large branches with around 20 to 25 each branch. We counted them. 400 was a conservative estimate.

On Saturday the 14th the ones from Friday flew to my neighbors tree. We get a lot fly through here starting the week after Labor Day every year like clockwork. About 11 am we started getting a steady stream.

We counted the ones we could which was about 50 a branch. We had 9 branches full. There were more flying around. The roost stayed Sunday.

We had heavy winds that weekend and rain. It was very humid but I am not sure of the overnight temps. The wind was out of the S to SW.

They roosted in the same tree around the same time of the month last year.

My yard is a waystation. We have milkweed, saliva, coneflowers, black eyed susans, hardy hibiscus, sunflowers, bee balm, yarrow, fennel, mexican sunflower...so many more. We also have the pond snowball plant and the tree that they roost in is right about the pond and that plant.

We have a steady stream fly over my house pretty much the whole migration. We had them flying into October last year. My neighbor had them and also the woman down the street. The roost in her yard stayed 3 days. They fly in about 15 to 20 at a time. Some are just passing by.

New Baltimore, MI

Latitude: 42.6 Longitude: -82.8

Observed by: Lori
Contact Observer

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