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 ===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
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.
Likewise from Taylors Point at the south end of Kewarra beach, have seen PIPs flying out towards double island at dusk but nothing during the eclipse.
We got clear sky just before totality, then cloud, then to the small crowd’s delight it mostly cleared to wispy cloud about half way through. There wasnt much bird song on the windy headland, a few small unidentified birds took flight as it dimmed, but eyes and cameras were focused on the sun.
cheers
Andrew Bell
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
John
IF you go a little further west to Chillagoe you can see swiftlets that fly in the dark every time they enter their cave.
Cheers & thanks for the report.
Mike =================== Michael Tarburton tarburton.m@optusnet.com.au ===================
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
We were watching the eclipse from Coconut resort at Cairns and to our relief had pretty good views! Totality did look like it was going to be hidden but just after it started appeared from behind the clouds, ging us an amazing view of the void like sun and surrounding corona followed by the diamond ring. I was too distracted by the eclipse to think about birds at totality, but did see several Torresian Imperial pigeons flying overhead [coming from the coast] shortly after. John; how early did you leave for Mareeba and what was the traffic like? We considered driving there too. From Jenny
At Yorkeys Knob this morning did not notice any thing different happening with local bird life. I was lucky enough to see the 1999 eclipse in Newquay (Cornwall UK) this took place at roughly 11am I did put my moth trap out and caught a couple of spp but did not notice anything this morning. Dom
Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
no John, PIPs are smarter than that. None to be seen while eclipse-watching on Wongaling Beach. Howling wind made listening for birds problematic but the light-show was worth it – two brief glimpses through the offshore rain and clouds. < ')////==< ________________________________ Sent: Wednesday, 14 November 2012, 8:33 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 =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) http://birding-aus.org/ =============================== ===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
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
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================
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
===============================
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line)
http://birding-aus.org ===============================