Migration
Rate Math
Who saw the strongest migration this week?
(Back
to Introduction)
Week
ending September 14, 2007
Here are a few of this week's observations. Read the comments and calculate
the migration rate for each.
Record this fall's most impressive observations on your Record
Sheet and add your favorites to your own Migration
Highlights Map.
9/12/07
Pennsburg, PA (42.39 N, -75.48 W)
We saw 22 migrating monarchs in 45 minutes. They flew past our
house and backyard in the afternoon between 2:15pm and 3:00pm. The weather
was clear and sunny, with a light breeze from the north.
9/12/07
Lagrange, KY (38.39 N, -85.27 W)
I just counted 56 monarchs in less than 1 hour, flying west using
directional flight. There is a northwest wind blowing and they are definitely
using it. Temperatures are expected to drop into the upper 40's tonight
so I believe they are using the wind and warm weather today to get moving
through here.
9/10/07
Harsons Island, MI (42.69 N, -83.06 W)
I
saw approx 50+ Monarchs (one or two at a time) flying out over Lake St.
Clair near Harsons Island from 1300 hrs to about 1400 hrs. What was also
neat was that all of them were flying in the same narrow path, heading
to the southwest.
9/9/07
Wallingford, CT (41.46 N, -72.80 W)
Within the course of one hour, I counted 11 monarch butterflies
heading south through my yard.
9/8/07
Brooklyn, NY (40.69 N, -73.99 W)
We saw 12 monarch butterflies in the span of 10 minutes. The time of the
observation was 3:40 pm to 3:50 pm.
9/6/07
Kandiyohi, MN (45.11 N, -94.94 W)
We saw Monarch Butterflies all over our goldenrod. It was cloudy and windy.
I watched for 30 minutes and saw about 50 butterflies.
I think they were drinking nectar. They were settling on the
goldenrod, flying up and settling again.
9/9/07
Prairie City, IA (41.55 N, -93.25 W)
For the second consecutive day, migrating monarch butterflies
were putting on a show at Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. During
three hours of observations on Sunday morning, 403 monarchs were counted--mostly
in the northern part of the refuge. For the most part, they were nectaring
once again on tickseed sunflowers and purple asters. One-hundred were
counted in the first half-hour beginning at 9 a.m. A strong breeze was
blowing from the north northwest, and numerous monarchs were noted coming
up out of the big bluestem grasses where they likely had spent the night.
You
can collect more observations like these from the sightings
database and migration maps.
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