Success!

[Nelson]

After 3 years of tagging these traveling flying machines, I
was elated to see my name pop up last evening on the
new web page for 2010 tag recoveries in Mexico with 2 of
my tagged Monarchs found at Cerro Pelon, Sonora! Now I
can't wait to get my 2011 Fall tags and get back to the
business of tagging. Question...Are most tagged Monarchs
found in Mexico deceased or still living? Thanks...Nelson

[Mona Miller]

Congratulations. I'd like to think they are living, but most are dead. The Mexican people search through the dead Monarchs on the forest floor and peel off the tags.

[Nelson]

Thanks for the info Mona...I guess my second question is:
Has a fall tagged Monarch ever been recovered as it
migrated north into the southern US the following spring?
Thanks!...NC

[Mona Miller]

Dr. Urquhart tagged Monarchs in Mexico. One of his tagged Monarchs was picked up in NY. As far as one of the Monarch Watch tagged monarchs making it to Mexico, then back to the east/west with a tag on--I've never heard of this.

[Paul Cherubini]

Has a fall tagged Monarch ever been recovered as it migrated north into the southern US the following spring?

Yes, there have been several semi-roundtrip recoveries. Example: Don Davis in Toronto, Ontario, had one of his recaptured in the spring in Texas. Dr. Urquhart had a higher percentage of roundtrip tag recoveries than the Monarch Watch has because Urquhart's tags were larger and more conspicuous so the general public noticed them more.

[Mona Miller]

Why didn't Dr. Urquhart write about his round trip recoveries? Can you show us the data on Don Davis' round trip recovery?

[Paul Cherubini]

Why didn't Dr. Urquhart write about his round trip recoveries? Can you show us the data on Don Davis' round trip recovery?

Urquhart published them in his annual newsletter to his taggers. I cannot speculate as to why he did not publish in a more publicly accessible format such as a scientific paper or book, just like I cannot know why the Monarch Watch has not published the details about all of its tag recoveries since the MW began in 1992. Monarch breeder Jacob Groth's tagging study is one of the few available where ALL details of the tagging project were published: http://www.swallowtailfarms.com/pages/e ... s_mms.html

[Mona Miller]

I got my information from "Butterflies of North America" [CD-ROM] Dr. James A. Scott. I also have his book. Maybe you could email Don?

Monarch Watch is updating their tagging information.
http://www.monarchwatch.org/tagmig/recoveries.htm

[Paul Cherubini]

There was a write up about Don Davis's semi-roundtrip tag recovery on Journey North

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarc ... onBio.html
"A tagged male monarch (Danaus plexippus), released by Donald A. Davis (Canada) at Presqu'ile provincial Park near Brighton, Ontario, Canada, on 10 September 1988, was recaptured on 8 April 1989 in Austin, Texas, U.S.A., travelling an estimated 2880 miles, making this the World's Longest Butterfly Migration."

Also a photo of Don standing in a logged clearing in the Chincua overwintering site forest in Mexico:
http://www.learner.org/jnorth/images/gr ... 6_0219.jpg
The monarchs LOVE to form their clusters along the edges of logged clearings because that way they can gain access to the sun. The monarchs are also more exposed to subfreezing temperatures, but the physiologically based survival need to have access to the sun trumps the the need to have maximum shelter from infrequent serious freezes. So small clear cuts and forest thinning doesn't cause the butterflies to be more exposed, because butterflies WANT to be more exposed. California researchers understand this principal and that's why they have sometimes deliberately logged holes in monarch overwintering groves to improve the habitat.

[sbannister]

[quote="Paul Cherubini"]There was a write up about Don Davis's semi-roundtrip tag recovery on Journey North

http://www.learner.org/jnorth/tm/monarc ... onBio.html
"A tagged male monarch (Danaus plexippus), released by Donald A. Davis (Canada) at Presqu'ile provincial Park near Brighton, Ontario, Canada, on 10 September 1988, was recaptured on 8 April 1989 in Austin, Texas, U.S.A., travelling an estimated 2880 miles, making this the World's Longest Butterfly Migration."

How can they be sure that was a round trip? Isn't it possible that the butterfly just stopped in Austin on its way south and overwintered there? I don't think Austin has very severe winters. Just curious.