Modest Monarch Numbers Continue

We grew used to monarch numbers dropping off quickly during the second half of October, but the pattern seems to be changing.  For the fourth year in a row we are seeing steady numbers of monarchs continuing late into the month.  Cape May Point is engulfed in a cloud today (Wednesday), with a misty drizzle coming and going, so the monarchs are not very active, and more rain is in the forecast, so we don't know if there will still be monarchs around after the rain.  But until there's a hard freeze in the areas to our immediate north, our guess is that modest numbers of monarchs will continue to be seen.

Seaside goldenrod, a favorite late season nectar source for monarchs, is fading now, with about 90% past bloom.  Monarchs are now being seen most often in gardens that still have flowers in bloom.

Monday morning update

We are seeing the biggest numbers of monarchs of the season thus far at Cape May Point this morning, with good numbers both along the dunes, feeding on seaside goldenrod, and also in various private gardens.  Winds are ideal for monarch movement, but we don't know if there will be more monarchs arriving or departing this afternoon, or perhaps equal numbers of both.  We don't know how it will be in a few hours, but right now there's a pretty good monarch show happening.  Visit any of the dune crossovers in the community of Cape May Point to watch them, but remember, never leave the formal pathways and walk into the dunes, it's not just harmful to the environment, it's actually illegal.

Monarchs on Vitex ("Chaste Tree") in private garden

Monarch on seaside goldenrod in Cape May Point

Update for weekend of Oct. 12 - 13

Monarch numbers have been gradually increasing over the last few days.  If you've never seen more than a few monarchs in one place, you'll be delighted with what can be seen in Cape May right now.  Those who have been here when monarchs seem to be everywhere, however, will realize that these are just moderate numbers by Cape May standards.  As is typically the case in October, most are found along the dunes in Cape May Point and next to the Promenade in Cape May City, feeding on the flowers of seaside goldenrod.  If you come to see or photograph monarchs at these locations, it's crucial to stay on the paths and never enter the dunes.

Female monarch on seaside goldenrod

We are receiving reports of big numbers of monarchs at Stone Harbor Point.  Our volunteers up there, coordinated by Sue Slotterback of the Wetlands Institute, use monarch tags that are colored green, so that we can quickly recognize them if they come to Cape May Point.  It's surprising how seldom we see the Stone Harbor monarchs, suggesting that once they leave that spot they just fly right over Cape May on their way south.  Will we see a lot more monarchs arriving into Cape May Point today?  There's no way to know, but we'll be out there watching.

Our team is very busy with our program schedule.  Our last formal tagging demos of the year at Cape May Point will be held this Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 pm.  We hosted over 100 people at each of our demos last Friday and Saturday.  These free programs are held at the East Picnic Shelter in Cape May Point State Park.  Next Friday through Sunday, Oct. 18 - 20, we will have our tagging demos at 12:00 noon at the Cape May Convention Center as part of the NJ Audubon Cape May Fall Festival.  Learn more about this fabulous event here: https://njaudubon.org/nja-events/cape-may-fall-festival/.  Our informal "drop-in" programs at Triangle Park, held Mondays through Thursdays, will continue through October 24.  And, of course, the big Monarch Migration Festival will be held at the Nature Center of Cape May on Sunday, Oct. 13, details here: https://njaudubon.org/event/monarch-migration-festival-2/.  We're hoping that there will be good numbers of monarchs at each of these events.

Big turnout for one of our tagging demos.

We also work with school groups; naturalists Anya Held and
Brendan Schaffer are shown here teaching a class.

Thursday update 10/10/19

It's been a very slow week for monarchs.  A storm developed out in the Atlantic, and while it didn't bring much rain to Cape May, we've had several days with strong winds out of the east and northeast. We don't expect to see many monarchs under those conditions, and indeed it was tough to find any monarchs.

Seaside goldenrod is blooming; where are the monarchs?

We had a lot of east winds in 2018, and while many areas saw excellent numbers of southbound monarchs, the Cape May totals were below our long term average.  This might be happening again in 2019, but there's still a chance that we will see big numbers during October's last three weeks.

Thursday's forecast is for north winds from 10 to 20 miles an hour, which should certainly bring us at least a modest increase in monarch numbers.  The forecast for the following few days is very favorable for the migration of monarchs - north winds on Friday, northwest on Saturday, and north-northwest on Sunday.  Will these winds bring a lot of monarchs or just a few?  We don't know, but our fingers are crossed!

Conditions look great for NJ Audubon's third annual Monarch Festival, which will be held from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, October 13.  Details here: https://njaudubon.org/event/monarch-migration-festival-2/

Saturday update 10/5/19

The temperature dropped into the upper 40s Friday night, yet many of the monarchs that moved into Cape May Point yesterday were still up early on Saturday, leaving their roosts before 8:00. Moderate NE winds were ideal for crossing Delaware Bay, and many of them headed out over the water to continue their migrations. There's a chance that more will arrive on Saturday afternoon, but as of late morning, monarch numbers had declined dramatically from Friday's peak. We are still seeing reports of many monarchs to our north, so we know there's a lot of the migration yet to come.

Friday afternoon - numbers increasing

Monarch numbers have increased significantly at Cape May Point this afternoon -- big numbers were seen flying down the beach between about 1:00 and 4:00 this afternoon.  It did not seem that many were leaving the Point and heading to Delaware, so we think some sizable overnight roosts may be forming.  Our team is currently searching around the Point to see if we can find where the monarchs are settling in for the night.  Monarch numbers should be high again tomorrow morning, but northeast winds are predicted, which the monarchs might use to leave Cape May and fly over the Bay to Delaware.  We'll be out there watching!

Midday Friday update

Steady north-northwest winds have been blowing across Cape May all morning, and while we're seeing an excellent flight of hawks and falcons, the numbers of monarch butterflies have not increased substantially.  We did find a few small clusters this morning, and we are seeing a fair number feeding on the seaside goldenrod along the beach, and a few here and there in the gardens, but no major influx.  It could still happen later today, and we'll certainly post something if it does.

Small cluster of monarchs at Cape May Point this morning

Cooper's Hawk over Cape May Point

October 3 Update

Monarch numbers around Cape May Point were exceptionally low last Saturday, to the dismay of many visitors.  Numbers have been gradually increasing each day since then, but there still has been no major influx, and we continue to receive reports of large numbers monarchs from observers to our north.  We expect to see lots of October monarchs, but we still can't be sure of how many will come here, nor when the better days will be.

Wednesday was an exceptionally hot day, and our team found a fair number of monarchs around Cape May Point, especially areas closest to the beach.  For the last two weeks a preferred nectar source has the native wild sunflowers of Cape May Point State Park.  These flowers are now fading, but the seaside goldenrod has started to bloom along the upper beach and dunes of Cape May Point.  These beautiful flowers are also common along the Promenade in Cape May City, and many can also be seen in gardens around Cape May.  Seaside goldenrod is a favorite nectar source for monarchs all along the Atlantic coastal migratory route.

Monarch on native wild sunflower at the State Park

 Thursday has dawned cloudy and cool, and badly needed rain may fall (we all are hoping for some rain, our gardens and wetlands are extremely dry).  The wind is blowing from the east at 15 - 20 mph, so an increase in monarch numbers seems unlikely today.  A cold front is predicted to pass over the Cape Thursday night, bringing northwest winds of 15 to 20 mph on Friday.  Northwest winds are generally the best for monarch migration into Cape May, but it's usually better if the winds aren't so strong.  Winds like those that are predicted can sometimes blow monarchs out to sea, which few can survive.  It's one of the reasons we ask monarch enthusiasts to never bring monarchs from elsewhere to Cape May.

Monarch on seaside goldenrod in Cape May Point

What do we expect to see on Friday?  There's a good chance that many monarchs will be moving into Cape May, and if that happens, this could be a good weekend to visit and see good numbers of monarchs at Cape May Point.  We'll be sure to update, we could certainly be wrong this time.  If you do come in search of monarchs, the seaside goldenrod along the upper beach and the dunes of Cape May Point are likely to be the best viewing locations.  Do not enter the vegetated area of the upper beach or the dunes for any reason, stay on the footpaths at each of the dune crossings or walk along the open beach and view from there.  Almost every dune crossing at Cape May Point has a viewing platform and most have benches, these are great spots for monarch viewing.  There may also be lots of monarchs this weekend along the waterfront in Cape May City; a walk along the paved waterfront Promenade should provide excellent monarch viewing.  If there are a lot of monarchs present, we could see good numbers gathering into overnight roosts, most frequently found in the conifer trees along Harvard Ave. in the community of Cape May Point.

Don't forget to come see our team at our tagging demos, held on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 2:00 pm.  No reservations are needed, just head to the East Picnic Shelter at Cape May Point State Park.  It's the perfect time and place to get an update on how the migration is proceeding, and for tips on the best viewing locations.