For years, tracking tagged monarch butterflies relied on chance – someone discovering the tiny sticker on a wing and reporting it. This year, Nature NB has introduced a new method to eliminate the guesswork.
By partnering with the Saint John Naturalist Club, Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, and Environment and Climate Change Canada, the organization has deployed Bluetooth-enabled tags on monarchs in New Brunswick for the first time this season. Francie Morgan, program co-ordinator with Nature NB, described this as a groundbreaking development in monarch conservation in the Maritimes.
The solar-powered BluMorpho tags, weighing a mere 0.066 grams, are attached to the butterfly’s thorax using eyelash glue, featuring a small antenna along the abdomen. Unlike traditional wing tags, these new tags utilize passive Bluetooth interactions, automatically logging data points for anyone within 100 meters of a tagged monarch with Bluetooth enabled on their phone.
To track these monarchs, individuals can download the Project Monarch app and follow their journey. Jim Wilson, a birder and naturalist at the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, emphasized the significance of this technological shift, moving away from the old method of relying on physical recapture to an online system that provides real-time tracking information.
Last year, Environment and Climate Change Canada and Birds Canada pioneered the use of this technology on monarchs in southern Ontario. Nature NB secured funding after a successful pilot, with support from the Environmental Trust Fund of New Brunswick and additional tags from the federal government. Despite some delays at the border, Nature NB aims to deploy 22 tags this season, with the potential for more if the remaining shipment clears customs in time.
Preliminary data has already revealed new insights into monarch migration routes in the province, confirming Point Lepreau as a crucial stopover before monarchs continue their journey towards Grand Manan. Unforeseen wind patterns this season diverted some monarchs to Nova Scotia, shedding light on how environmental conditions influence migration decisions.
Tracking individual migration routes can help identify vital natural corridors that monarchs depend on, aiding conservation efforts to safeguard these areas. The public can monitor the tagged monarchs’ progress by downloading the Project Monarch app, with tags in New Brunswick starting with the prefix PLBO from Point Lepreau Bird Observatory. Nature NB anticipates tagging 22 monarchs in the province by the end of the season.