Date: 09/13/2019

Number: 1500

I received a text message Friday evening from my friend indicating that when they pulled in the driveway of their cottage that they had monarchs in every tree on their property. She sent me a photograph and based on the numbers I could count in that tree and her reports that there were three trees just as full, I estimate 1500. They would flutter up when disturbed but then resettle into their roost. We visited Saturday morning and on our way East down St. Clair Road off Essex County Road 2 we observed many Monarchs flying southwest in ones, twos and threes but many just flitting about as they were disturbed by cars, humans and lawnmowers, and then resettling. The Monarchs at our friend's cottage fluttered up when we drove under them but gradually resettled. During our visit we noticed the odd one leave. By evening there were still approximately 200 left. I went to do a count with my binoculars and saw a tag (see photo)! My friend was able to get a photograph. Tag number with photograph reported separately to MonarchWatch YCG250. We noted that the Monarchs were favouring the mature sugar maple trees in this long established cottage area sandwiched between farm fields and Lake St. Clair. Reports from my friend for Sunday indicated that the Monarchs (at least 200) were still there that evening when they left to go back home. Moderate to strong southwest to west wind with periods of rain Saturday and Sunday. On a side note, an average of one Monarch per minute noted on our travels in Essex County the entire weekend between Maidstone, Stoney Point, Windsor and Leamington.

Lakeshore, ON

Latitude: 42.3 Longitude: -82.6

Observed by: Laura
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