BirdCapeMay.org

Q: How do you tell a male and female Monarch apart?

A: Males have a small spot on the inside of the hindwing. This is a difference that we can see in the image below, just follow the 2 white arrows (photo by Mark Garland). A few other differences are that the ends of their abdomens look different and females tend to be darker with slightly wider wing veins.

Q: Where are the Monarchs migrating to and how long do they live?

A: Monarch Butterflies migrate through Cape May each autumn. The final fall generation of Monarchs in the East will migrate to the mountains of Mexico, west of Mexico City, where they will winter.

This generation that migrates in the fall live, in general, from August - September to April. However, due to the risks involved not all Monarchs will survive the journey.

Those that make it to Mexico and survive the winter will mate in the spring. After mating the males will die before migrating north. The females, full of fertile eggs, will make the journey back to North America where they will lay their eggs on milkweed before dying.

Q: Do Black Skimmers winter in flocks on the east coast?

A: During September and October, postbreeding adult and juvenile Black Skimmers congregate in flocks on the Cape May beaches. Many of the skimmers that we see roosting by day at Second Avenue Jetty are from the Stone Harbor Point colony.

During the winter, skimmers in the northern part of their breeding range will migrate south. A good place to view skimmers during the winter is on the coast of Florida.