For years, monitoring the movement of tagged monarch butterflies has relied on chance, with individuals along the migration path discovering the small adhesive marker on a wing and reporting it. This year, Nature NB has introduced a new approach that eliminates the uncertainty.
In collaboration with the Saint John Naturalist Club, Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, and Environment and Climate Change Canada, the organization has introduced Bluetooth-enabled tags on monarchs in New Brunswick for the first time. Francie Morgan, the program co-ordinator at Nature NB, described this as an exciting development in monarch conservation in the Maritimes.
These solar-powered BluMorpho tags weigh only 0.066 grams, a minute fraction of a monarch’s body weight. They are affixed to the butterfly’s thorax with eyelash glue and feature a slender antenna along the abdomen. Unlike conventional wing tags that require physical recapture, the BluMorpho tags operate through passive Bluetooth interactions. When individuals with Bluetooth enabled on their phones come within 100 meters of a tagged monarch, data is automatically logged.
Morgan encouraged people to download the Project Monarch app to scan for these tags and track the monarchs’ journeys. Jim Wilson, a birder and naturalist at the Point Lepreau Bird Observatory, emphasized the significance of this technological shift from the traditional method of relying on numbered wing tags for monarch tracking.
The implementation of this technology began last year in Canada through a partnership between Environment and Climate Change Canada and Birds Canada in southern Ontario. Following a successful pilot, Nature NB secured funding from the Environmental Trust Fund of New Brunswick and received additional tags from the federal government. However, delays at the border have hindered the deployment of all 35 tags this season.
Wilson highlighted similar challenges faced by their team, with some tags held up in customs due to tariffs. Despite these hurdles, preliminary data has already provided valuable insights into monarch migration paths in the province. Notably, the tracking confirmed Point Lepreau as a crucial stopover for monarchs before their journey towards Grand Manan along the Eastern Seaboard.
Unforeseen strong westerly winds diverted three tagged monarchs to Nova Scotia this season, shedding light on the influence of wind conditions on migration patterns. Wilson and Morgan emphasized the importance of tracking individual migration routes to identify key natural corridors that monarchs rely on, aiding conservation efforts by prioritizing the protection of these areas.
To follow the tagged monarchs, individuals can utilize the free Project Monarch app. Tags used in New Brunswick are prefixed with PLBO, representing Point Lepreau Bird Observatory. By the season’s end, Nature NB plans to tag 22 monarchs in the province with this innovative technology.