Date: 10/09/2000

Number: 1

With winds gusts up to 30 mph on the Virginia Coast, Denise Gibbs saw "the largest wave of Monarchs here so far this migration season, with 900 Monarchs per hour migrating (being blown) through.
From my field journal: I stood on the beach dressed in 2 layers of hooded polartec with windblock topped with an Eider-down jacket. My face, (the only exposed skin on my body) felt raw from the sandblasting wind. I watched helplessly as Monarchs rolled and tumbled past me like tiny orange tumbleweeds on the sand. Normally on this island Monarchs favor north or northwest winds for migration, but today the north wind's fury is forcing them down to the ground. If they're lucky enough to land on vegetation--dune grasses or Seaside Goldenrod, they cling to the leeward side, staying 3-5 minutes to rest and warm their flight muscles in the sun. Others, not so lucky are landing on the exposed sand and are trying to get a foothold on the loose, blowing grains of sand. Monarchs that lose their grip are getting blown out to sea.

See daily monarch migration records recorded by the
Chincoteague Monarch Monitoring Project on Assateague Island, Virginia.

Assateague Island, VA

Latitude: 38.1 Longitude: -75.1

Observed by:
Contact Observer

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