Date: 09/16/2022

Number: 237

While driving my son to school in Leamington, I noticed many Monarchs in directional flight. On the way home I was still noticing this. On one particular stretch of road bounded by farm fields I was seeing multiple Monarchs crossing the road at vehicle height. I pulled over and started counting at 09:20. I was watching through the rear view mirror, out the front windshield and through the moon roof with the naked eye. As far as the eye could see behind and ahead they were flying southwest. I reluctantly stopped counting 2 hours later at 11:20. The Monarchs were, however still flowing. Wind 210 to 220 degrees between 8 and 15 kph. Visibility 16 kilometres. (Wildfire smoke from Michigan present in the air (visible and olfactory) Temperature between 21 and 25 at Windsor airport (closest reporting station) using historical data from Environment Canada. One interesting thing of note was that as I continued along North Talbot to my residence at 8 County Road 46, Maidstone, the Monarchs were flying southwest across the road in the same manner. A huge swath of Essex County was full of migrating Monarchs.
Counting done by naked eye, texting myself to keep the numbers accurate and record the time. As many as 3 Monarchs bisecting the road at any one time. Only a handful flying together. Mostly all singles. Amazingly, only one male struck by a vehicle that I observed. The rest caught up in the air current of the passing vehicle quickly recovering and going on their way. Some few nectar sources along the road as most vegetation recently scalped by overzealous mowing machine operators.
Primarily Goldenrod in full bloom. No nectaring observed.

Essex, ON

Latitude: 42.2 Longitude: -82.8

Observed by: Laura
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