Field Journal -- Eclipse
On Monday, April 8, I decided to see how birds react to the eclipse in Centennial Woods. I started my walk at 1:43 pm (end: 4:05 pm) when it was around 57 degrees Fahrenheit with a 2-3 mph breeze. There were a few clouds in the sky, but overall remained very sunny. I started my walk in a mixed hardwood stand but was in a field next to the inner retention pond and pine trees.
I started my walk slow and quiet, in the hopes that species I do not normally see will come closer to the forest floor. Black-capped Chickadees, American Robins, and Song Sparrows were constantly calling. Once I moved to a conifer stand, a Red-breasted Nuthatch and Golden-crowned Kinglet were calling back and forth on the same branch. The nuthatch scared off the kinglet, and the kinglet flew onto another branch, flashed its crown, and flew away.
I continued onwards towards the retention pond near the baseball field and saw a few Dark-eyed Juncos near the sumac and on the ground. American Crows were cawing overhead, and a Red-tailed Hawk flew across the river. There were fewer birds here overall compared to within the forest.
As it got darker, the Tufted Titmice started hanging onto the sumac and calling to each other. They were by far the loudest birds in the area. An Eastern Phoebe landed silently on another sumac, and flew down into the brush. Many of the other birds I could not identify did something similar. As the light faded away in the sky, they followed their nighttime routine. When totality occurred, it became completely silent.
When totality ended, the Song Sparrows were the first ones to start calling again. If I were quieter during the eclipse, I wonder if I could have seen an owl or other birds I generally do not see. Regardless, being quiet and slow on this walk, compared to other walks, yielded better results and insight into bird behavior.
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