Weather conditions favour faster monarch migration at Point Pelee

Early autumn is always a busy time at Point Pelee National Park for those flocking to see monarch butterflies as they make a pit-stop during their migration to Mexico.

Then it's the fall bird migration.

But this year, there's a pent-up demand for both, since the park was closed by COVID-19 during the spring migration.

Sarah Rupert, promotion officer for the park, said so far the season has not disappointed.

"It's been really strong in the last week, especially. A lot of songbirds moving through the area. We're seeing lots of red-breasted nuthatches, all kinds of warblers moving through," she said.

"We've had some pretty exciting bird sightings this fall. We had — just over a week ago — there was a swallow-tailed kite in the area."

For monarchs, the busiest roosting night saw about 4,000 of the insects which is a relatively small number, said Rupert.

That's because "good tailwinds" moving across Lake Erie have created perfect conditions for the butterflies to move on with their migration.

"They're just not hanging out on the point right now," said Rupert.

It wouldn't be uncommon to see as many as 100,000 butterflies in an evening to roost when the weather conditions are perfect, said Rupert.

For best viewing, it's best to go in the evenings or early mornings to see them in the trees roosting. But they do move around the park during the day, said Rupert.

Due to COVID-19, the park is not running a shuttle to the tip of the point.

During this pandemic, cars are permitted to drive up to the tip of the point on weekdays. On weekends, however, cars can drive as far as the visitors' centre and people can walk or cycle the rest of the way.