Results tagged “Migration” from Intelligent Travel Blog

Biologist Lincoln Brower of Virginia's Sweet Briar University has been studying monarch butterflies and their astonishing annual migration to the central Mexican highlands for 45 years. He helped us square away the facts in Melina Bellow's feature on the monarchs, "In Search of Magic," in our November/December issue. We caught up with him to find out more about his work and gather some suggestions for traveling to Mexico to witness the magic yourself.Why do the monarchs make this journey?

Monarchs are similar in their migratory behavior to many songbirds that invade our temperate zone in the summer, but cannot survive during the winter and so they migrate back into their tropical habitats in the fall. In the U.S. and Canada, milkweeds and nectar sources become superabundant in the spring and summer but completely freeze back in the winter. The big difference between birds and monarchs is that the monarchs return to Mexico, to the same trees in successive winters although they themselves have never been there before. They are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the monarchs that were there the previous year. The entire migration is an inherited behavior pattern and we are just beginning to understand this incredible behavior.

What are some of the most interesting aspects of the migration you've discovered?

We have shown how critical the intact oyamel fir canopy is in providing a very tight microclimate that allows the monarchs to avoid freezing during winter storms. The fir trees serves both as a blanket and umbrella for the monarchs.

Senior editor Norie Quintos has been blogging about her recent family trip to Kenya. Her previous posts in this series include on traveling with teens, taking care of paperwork, staying healthy, and packing.

From Laikipia, we flew by prop plane (via Nairobi) to the Masai Mara, the fecund savanna immortalized by many a nature documentary. The area supports some of the greatest concentrations of wildlife, including the so-called Big Five (elephant, rhino, Cape buffalo, lion, leopard). Visitors can't help but have high expectations. Lodges are numerous and run the gamut from basic to luxe. We stayed at the recently overhauled tent suites at the Fairmont Mara Safari Club: lavishly adorned in Africana and boasting typical four-star-hotel accoutrements as bathrobe, slippers, hair dryer, sewing kit, etc. With several wheelchair-accessible rooms, a host of modern conveniences, a highly trained staff, and a prime location overlooking a hippo-filled river, it is one of a few lodges on the Mara suitable for families with very young children and guests with mobility issues. 

One problem with the celeb-status of the Mara is that it is in danger of being loved to extinction. The masses of grass-feeding animals attract predators that feed on them, which in turn lures hordes of tourists, many desirous of the type of close encounters seen on Animal Planet and BBC wildlife programs. Drivers and guides feel the pressure to deliver on unrealistic expectations, putting unsustainable forces on the fragile ecosystem. While off-road driving is not permitted within the Masai Mara reserve, many areas just outside are deeply rutted and pocked. In some cases, the old tracks have become impassable and parallel ones begun.

Contributing Blogger Cathy Healy got the scoop from naturalist writer and artist Emilene Oslind on when, where, and how to watch pronghorn antelope in Wyoming this June.



LARAMIE, Wyo. -- Pronghorn fawns will make you laugh, promises Emilene Ostlind, a former natural history photography coordinator for National Geographic magazine. "Fawns have these little snub noses and a funny poof of white hair on their butts that stands up when they get excited. Most does have twins and they're full of energy. If you're lucky, you'll get to see two fawns jump up from behind a sagebrush, drink some milk from their mother and run around, playing and chasing each other."

You can easily find pronghorn in Wyoming if you get off the interstates and onto Bureau of Land Management roads. The state has about half of the million pronghorn in the world, all of which live on North America's western plains. (Map).

While you won't need a four-wheel drive, you will need binoculars or a scope to observe the skittish animals, says Ostlind. Pronghorn are the fastest creatures in North America--they can run away from you at 53 mph. Not only that, but antelope have 270-degree eyesight and can spot movement from two to three miles away. Your advantage is that pronghorn are curious, so they might come closer if you're in your car and not on foot. Or, if you're watching from a hilltop a couple of miles away.