Changing Season

Cooler air and a series of winter low-pressure systems are approaching the California coast signaling a change in the seasonal weather. Monarchs are settling into groves along the coast as volunteers begin the annual Thanksgiving Counts to compare the number of this year’s successful migrators to earlier years. So far, the early numbers of the monarch overwintering population appear lower than in recent years.

Monarchs Making Slow Progress

Peak Migration Events

Over the past week, reports are still trickling in from observers seeing larger numbers of migrating monarchs. Hot spots for monarch observations remain clustered along the Gulf Coast states and northern Mexico. Observers are all wondering how weather patterns, from persistent drought conditions in Texas to unseasonably warmer weather in the Midwest, might be impacting monarch migration this fall season. 

How Do Loons Sleep?

Due to the extreme rear placement of their legs on their bodies, loons are slow, clumsy, and therefore vulnerable when they are on land. Because of this, they only come up on land when it is absolutely necessary, such as when they are nesting or when they are injured or ill. The rest of their time is spent on the water—including when they sleep! How, when, and where do loons sleep?