Monarch Butterflies


Posted by 1943mike on Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:03 pm

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Image
Canon 10D, Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 @370mm, 1/200 sec., f/8, ISO: 400. I used fill flash.

When I lived in southern California I used to take annual trips up the coast in December to shoot A) The Monarchs in Pismo Beach, B) the Hearst Castle in San Simeon, and C) the Elephant Seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery further up the coast.

Here's an old shot from December 22, 2004 in Pismo Beach.

It's really too bad that their numbers are down so drastically. In 2004 - when I captured the image posted - the butterfly count was 38,438. Back in 1990/91 it was 230,000! This winter's count was 6,735 - really sad.

Mike

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by SantaFeJoe on Sun Feb 23, 2020 7:14 pm
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A dream shot for many of us. The triangular shape is really cool. It’s sad that everything is changing and will never go back to how it was.

Joe
Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.  -Pablo Picasso
 

by Tom Whelan on Sun Feb 23, 2020 11:36 pm
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Nice view, and a unhappy tale of the declining numbers in California. I've seen Monarchs roost In Pacific Grove in the last few years, but not in huge numbers.
Tom

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by Cynthia Crawford on Mon Feb 24, 2020 6:49 am
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A poignant shot and story. We can always hope the numbers will increase with much effort on our part, but it is a sorry story indeed. Glad you got to see them and share it with us.
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