For reference read my 30 page article: (1982) 'A record of avian and other
responses to the total solar eclipse - 23 October 1976', Australian Bird
Watcher 9: 179-209. (The world's biggest analysis of animal behaviour to a
solar eclipse.)
For what it is worth, here is the blurb written for when I was invited to
talk at a Total Solar Eclipse conference in Los Angeles a few years ago.
Speech Abstract
One big question about Total Solar Eclipses is what do birds and other fauna
do when the light goes out during the day? There are many reports that
mention this in passing but most are the observations of just one person at
one site rather than a coordinated study. Many older reports are more
fanciful than believable. On 23 October 1976 we had a TSE in Victoria,
Australia. Monash University Centre for Continuing Education planned for the
event for school children to investigate the range of things that happen
during an eclipse. Of all the programs, it was only those on animal
behaviour that were followed up after the event. Also members of the Bird
Observers Club were encouraged to send in their observations. The
presentation will describe the logistics of the project and some of the
results and include connections to various other studies and make
recommendations as to future events.
The weather on the day was cloudy with the sun mostly covered over but the
event was still dramatic to the fauna and for many people. I investigated
these aspects and eventually completed a 30 page article: Veerman, P.A.
(1982) 'A record of avian and other responses to the total solar eclipse -
23 October 1976', Australian Bird Watcher: 179-209. That was based on the
observations of about 150 BOCA members and school students throughout
Victoria in the program "Operation Blackout". The most notable reaction was
the roosting and vocalisation behaviour of birds. Vocalisations included
some cessation during the eclipse and a variable false dawn chorus after.
Roosting and panicking behaviour was also variable, largely according to
habitat. These will be described. A lot could be learned on the aspect of
photoperiodism (or internal clocks) of animals from eclipse studies.
Preferably by combining results from different parts of the earth which
would be under the same eclipse at local times differing by several hours.
Failing that, comparing results from many different eclipses at different
local times will elucidate how birds perceive the short night and false dawn
relative to their internal clocks.
Presenter
Philip A. Veerman developed an interest in birds very early and has long
been a member of the main Australian birding study organisations. He has
contributed to a range of bird and other fauna survey work done by these and
other organisations. When "Operation Blackout" happened in 1976 he was a
second year biology student at La Trobe University. This qualification has
long since been completed and added to by further study. His involvement
with solar eclipses stems from being invited to come along to the first
planning session for "Operation Blackout" to represent the Bird Observers
Club. These sessions grew into this project. However it was the effort to
compile all the highly variable inputs from many sources into a fairly
coherent document that makes the study notable. The 1982 paper: "A record of
avian and other responses to the total solar eclipse - 23 October 1976',
Australian Bird Watcher: 179-209 still appears to be the world's biggest
analysis of animal behaviour to a solar eclipse. The relevant research is
only one of several of his publications built around his analyses of a large
scale volunteer-based surveys of bird biology. Now living in Canberra, the
Australian Capital Territory, he has also most notably recently published
works on a long term large scale bird population study in Canberra.
-----Original Message-----
From:
On Behalf Of John Harris
Sent: Wednesday, 14 November 2012 9:51 AM
To: Peter Shute
Cc: ;
Subject: Birds at the eclipse
Yes peter,
The total eclipse was in October 1976. As a young lad at the time, my
parents and I kept many birds in aviaries. Being about 4pm, the birds all
began to "pack up" for the day and start roosting. Once the eclipse was
over, the birds resumed normal activities.
Yours in all things "Green"
John Harris
Owner - Wildlife Experiences
0409090955
On Nov 14, 2012 9:42 AM, "Peter Shute" <> wrote:
> There was a total or near total eclipse in Melbourne some time in the
> 70s(?), in the afternoon, I think. I recall that it was like a dawn
> chorus when it got light again. Perhaps your observation that the
> birds "carried on as before" was because they were already doing their
> dawn chorus.
>
> Peter Shute
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From:
> > On Behalf Of John
> > Leonard
> > Sent: Wednesday, 14 November 2012 9:34 AM
> > To: ;
> > Subject: [Birding-Aus] Birds at the eclipse
> >
> > We came up to cairns for the eclipse, we were staying in palm cove
> > but decided that there would be too much morning cloud over the sea.
> > So we drove inland to Mareeba and a little further west and had
> > perfect views of the eclipse from a stop by the road on high ground
> > facing east amidst mango orchards. Around about were white-bellied
> > cuckoo-shrikes, figbirds, pied butcherbirds and magpie larks. In
> > front of us was a weedy field with cisticolas calling from it.
> > The eclipse was about an hour after sunrise, and so not as
> > dramatic as it would have been later; it only got appreciably
> > dark five minutes before totality, and totality itself was
> > quite short, only about 1 minute.
> > My attention was torn between the sun and the birds, I didn't
> > notice any unusual behaviour, all that happened was that for
> > about the ten minutes of darkness the birds fell silent and
> > didn't move about. After the eclipse they carried on as before.
> > If we'd been on the coast it would have been interesting to
> > see if the torresian imperial pigeons headed offshore when it
> > got dark!
> >
> > John Leonard
> > ===============================
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