Where to see Monarchs in CA in early February?

[petereeles]

Hi all,

I live in the UK and will be working in San Rafael (north of San Francisco) in early February for 2 weeks and will have a hire car. I'd love to spend some time at the weekends seeing (and photographing) any Monarch roosts that are within a day's reach - and am sure that the knowledgeable people on these forums could help!

I've browsed the web and come up with various candidate sites, but I was wondering what the real situation is since, it would seem, the Monarchs in this area are having as hard a time as the resident species in the UK at present.

Thanks in advance for any replies.

Regards,

- Pete (Eeles)
www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

[Mona Miller]

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1433&p=6558&hilit=california#p6558
We had a discussion on this earlier.

Looks like the website has changed:
http://www.xerces.org/california-monarchs/

[petereeles]

Thanks Mona - much appreciated!

Regards,

- Pete
www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

[Paul Cherubini]

There are only two overwintering sites near San Rafael that will still have monarchs in early February.

1) Lighthouse Field State Park in Santa Cruz, Calif. (1 hour & 30 minute drive from San Rafael)

2) Butterfly Grove Inn Motel in Pacific Grove, Calif. (2 hour drive from San Rafael)
Also known as the "Monarch Grove Sanctuary"

[petereeles]

[quote="Paul Cherubini"]There are only two overwintering sites near San Rafael that will still have monarchs in early February.

1) Lighthouse Field State Park in Santa Cruz, Calif. (1 hour & 30 minute drive from San Rafael)

2) Butterfly Grove Inn Motel in Pacific Grove, Calif. (2 hour drive from San Rafael)
Also known as the "Monarch Grove Sanctuary"[/quote]

Thanks Paul - great information! Quick question - would the Lighthouse Field State Park recommendation also in include the Natural Bridges site (http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=541).

Many thanks.

- Pete

[Paul Cherubini]

> would the Lighthouse Field State Park recommendation also
> in include the Natural Bridges site?

No, Pete, because there are no clusters at Natural Bridges in late winter.

But there are about 5,000 monarchs at Lighthouse Field State Park
Here's a view of the Monarch Grove at Lighthouse Field:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... h/lfsp.jpg

Here's an aerial view:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /lfsbj.jpg

Here's a distant aerial view to get you oriented:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... /lfspc.jpg

And there are about 14,000 monarchs at the cluster site in Pacific Grove.
Here's a Dec. view of the butterflies at Pacific Grove:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... h/mgsj.jpg

Here's an aerial view:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... h/mgsl.jpg

Here's a distant aerial view to get you oriented:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y189/m ... h/mgsf.jpg

[petereeles]

Thanks Paul - I really appreciate your input. You've already saved me many wasted hours so I hate to ask another question.

But, as a photographer as well as a Lepidopterist, is it possible to get decent photos at these sites? The folks back home will be really interested to see how I got on! Again - I'm after some tips from those in the know!

Thanks again,

- Pete

[Paul Cherubini]

Yes it's possible to get good photos because in early Feb because the butterfly clusters tend to be located in sunny locations between 10 am - 3 pm on sunny days. At Lighthouse Field there is a rope barrier circling the grove, but you won't get into trouble if you walk over the rope barrier to get some good photos.

At Pacific Grove you'll likely need a telephoto lens to get shots of the clusters from Ridge Road.

You should try to visit the sites no later than Feb. 10-15 because the clusters could break up and disperse after that time frame.

[petereeles]

Hi Paul - just to let you know that I had a very successful day at Lighthouse Field. Many thanks again for the information! I've posted a summary at:

http://www.ukbutterflies.co.uk/phpBB2/v ... f=8&t=2952

Regards,

- Pete

[Pixie]

Pete - I just viewed the photos from your California trip. They are absolutely beautiful. Thank you for sharing them with Monarch Watch. I went into your UK website - again some great photos!!
Dottie (Pixie)