For a brief time today, Monarchs took over Cape May Point. It is hard for me to even begin to explain how amazing it was to witness the Monarchs this morning.
I started out early to check out some Monarch roosts. Alas, by the time I got there, they were already starting to disband. I soon got word that Coral Ave was a happening place. And oh boy, it was a-hopping. Or maybe a-fluttering is more appropriate. Monarchs streamed past a group of us standing on the platform. You looked in one direction: Monarchs. You looked in the opposite direction: Monarchs. 90 degrees more: Monarchs. And guess what? All four cardinal directions were filled with Monarchs. They were flying over the beach and the dunes, at first flying towards the bay and then fluttering back towards shore. Until the winds shifted just right and soon, with binoculars pointed out to sea, we could all make out little fluttering specks crossing the bay. And word from a hawk watch in Delaware reported our Monarchs arriving about 1.5-2 hours after they began to cross. Amazing. Such little beings flying with such intent and purpose: make it to Mexico or die trying.
To try to explain the beauty and the miracle of the morning, try to imagine you are in a snow globe. Except instead of snow, the little white specks are black and orange specks. That is what today felt like. We were in a giant snow globe with thousands and thousands of Monarchs all around us. It was magical and even spiritual to watch these little guys on their epic trek south. What a day to be in Cape May and what a year to be working as the intern!
No comments:
Post a Comment