....without the thundering hooves. If you live in or are planning a visit to NoCal make the effort to see this as there is no telling when natural wonders like these might disappear.
Eric
Sadly, it might disappear, due to our actions. Yesterday, someone at BBC was telling about possible extinction of giraffes. Almost 40% of giraffe population dropped in last 3 decades. Now there are about 100,000 left. Elephant numbers are down. Rhinos are almost gone.
This is an amazing sight Eric. When we were last there we missed migration by a few days. There were still plenty of monarchs around though nothing like this
Ted ellis wrote:
More great shots Eric.
Thanks Ted...always an amazing sight for me.
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arbitrage wrote:
Great shots Eric....what a spectacle to witness
TFS
Geoff
Thanks Geoff...it is one of the special things one can see...and it's pretty reliable this time of year.
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surfnron wrote:
Very well done and very neat Eric ~ Ron
Thanks Ron....I do think you might see something similar in Virginia but am not sure where and when.
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conebeam wrote:
Excellent shots.
Sadly, it might disappear, due to our actions. Yesterday, someone at BBC was telling about possible extinction of giraffes. Almost 40% of giraffe population dropped in last 3 decades. Now there are about 100,000 left. Elephant numbers are down. Rhinos are almost gone.
You are correct Mansur...and with the most recent EPA secretary we will almost certainly move towards more species extinction at a more rapid pace.
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morris wrote:
This is an amazing sight Eric. When we were last there we missed migration by a few days. There were still plenty of monarchs around though nothing like this
Morris
It was wonderful to see again this year...each time I've been fortunate enough to witness this I am blown away...and each viewing has been different.
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shekarn64 wrote:
Wow!
Thanks...glad you like it
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AGeoJO wrote:
Awesome images, Eric! It looks like you used a long lens or lenses for those; what is the range of the focal lengths for those images? Thanks!
Joshua
Thanks Joshua...I only took my Nikon D500 and 200-500...so most of the images are in the 350-500 range...I was the only one there that day that wasn't taking iPhone or point and shoot images....I also had a Better Beamer but need lessons from Morris on proper use with the dark side gear.
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nugeny wrote:
Awesome! You meant this in California? Where? Monterey?
Thanks Bob...yes it is in Pacific Grove which is down the block so to speak from Monterrey.
Just Google Pacific Grove Butterfly Sanctuary...easy to find and not really very crowded...12noon-3ish is the best time to go as it has warmed up a bit and the monarchs do fly around some.
Thank you, Eric. So, that's more 450-750mm in FF term then. I was there like 11-12 years ago and I had a 300mm lens with me and I remembered that it was indeed on the short side. I will be better prepared this time around .
birdied wrote:
What a marvelous sight this must be. Lovely shots Eric.
Birdie
Thanks Birdie...it is quite special....if you get a chance watch the 3 part documentary on Great Migrations...on part deals with the monarchs and the cinematography is astounding.
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kmunroe wrote:
love the butterflies Eric
Thanks, they are striking.
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CritterRacing wrote:
you got my vote.
Very much appreciated....remember vote early and vote often Thanks!
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nugeny wrote:
Btw, how long more are they going to stay before flying back to Canada?
Do I still get a chance in January 2017?
I think January should be just fine...I don't think they have return reservations until March.
Eric
Beautiful captures of an amazing and fascinating natural phenomenon, Eric. It takes four generations of Monarchs in one year to get to this stage. Those butterflies represent he final generation of hibernating monarch butterflies. In two or three months they will come out of hibernation to find a mate. They then migrate north and east in order to find a place to lay their eggs.This starts generation one and stage one of the new year for the monarch butterflies. It will take another 3 generations to get back to the stage your images is showing. Monarchs don't live long, just two to five weeks except for this generation, the fourth generation, that will live from six to eight months. This makes you images even more exiting
If you get the chance watch an interesting movie on Netflix called "Flight of Butterflies"
Again, great job!
Socrate
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Thanks!