jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

There have been few studies done regarding animal behavior during an eclipse, although there have been many anecdotal stories. There was a study done after an eclipse in 1932, and that revealed some information. Still, although we know something about how animals behave, we don't know that much, and we don't know why.

Their behavior seems to fall into one of three categories: going through their nighttime routine, active and afraid, doing nothing different. This behavior covers all creatures, from insects to mammals. There are several studies planned for the eclipse coming next week.

ecblackiii Loc: Maryland

Probably more worthless studies. A solar eclipse only lasts a few minutes. I witnessed a complete solar eclipse from directly beneath its path, where the effects are greatest. I was greatly disappointed in the experience. Unless one put on special glasses, one could not really tell that the moon was directly between the sun and the earth. The moon is too small relative to the sun obliterate the sun's rays. A major amount of the light passes around the moon's silhouette. So, the sky got a little less bright, sort of like if a cloud passed over, but it was still daylight. I doubt that animals pay much attention.

JBRIII

I have seen 6 I believe, but never where there lots of birds around to notice. But my sister-in-law saw the one in 17 in a park and just last week said the change in noise was something she remember most vividly. Where I've been beach, airport, soccer field, pasture, ship in Pacific, another game field, trees have not been around as I wanted clear sighting.

Another effect only observed sometimes is called shadow bands, seen twice. In 2019, the air about knee high appeared as waves of light and dark, like you were in a liquid made of light flowing by you. Both times the area was dry sand or light colored soil. Some have tried putting down white sheets to see them.

A friend on a ship said they were able to observe the shadow speeding towards them. The longer the eclipse the darker the sky becomes near you as the path is wider. This one is the longest for me so we'll see.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'm not going to drive to see this one. The next one visible in NY will be in 2044, and I'll be 100 then. I wonder kind of camera I'll have in 2044.

They say that if you're going to drive to see it, arrive early and stay late. Traffic is expected to be very heavy.

JBRIII

The one in 2044 I don't think is total except for a small part of Montana. After that the one in 2045 follows a path somewhat south of the 2017 eclipse, but covers virtually all of Florida.

One in 2099 will be total about 20 miles from me. By then I'll have seen so many, I won't care.

Latest weather looks best in Ohio and north. Didn't check NY. SW, Texas, OK look like rain.

cahale Loc: San Angelo, TX

Any studies on how humans behave?

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

I'm in San Antonio, Texas. I've been through two of these here in SA TX.

Indeed animals will be effected, it's just human animals who are too dumb to get it.
Animals become docile. They go to ground, most will shelter under plant growth. Flying creatures will descend from the sky about two hours prior to totality, then for about two hours after. All the animals are docile and not aggressive. Insects go to ground before the birds. The world gets vary quiet.

Will it rain? Who knows, but the effect of the event will still happen. With a clear sky, on the ground expect a loss of 5 to 8 stops of light. Along with temperature predictions you will feel a much cooler to cold day, and the next day will be cooler as well. Weather predictions have no 'eclipse' factor, go figure.

If you look carefully at the shadows under plants, you can seethe effect of the eclipse above.

ecblackiii Loc: Maryland

Animals behave exactly the same way every evening as the sun sets, or as a rainstorm approaches. Doesn't seem to be a big deal except in people's imagination.

JP1856

I "watched" a partial eclipse once with an old Weston Master V light meter. There was a difference in illumination, but not much.

dustie Loc: Nose to the grindstone

In 2017, my worksite was somewhere around 3.5 - 5 miles outside the "path of totality" of that eclipse. I stopped working for 3 or 4 minutes that was supposed to be the time of the peak period of the event, just to see how weird things would be:
•• birds keep on doing their thing;
•• during the maximum point of eclipse, one raven flew along normally, a very few degrees too low in elevation to pass directly between me and the eclipsed sun, so it didn't make a witch on a broomstick-type silhouette,
•• about the time of maximum eclipse, a mile or so in the distance, I could hear honking car horns and voices hooting and whooping like the cheering for a home run at the ol' ball game,
•• the heifers out in the pature kept right on working at keeping their bellies full,
•• dogs in the distance that normally barked for long periods of time in the daylight kept barking,

•• looking later on, at traffic cameras along the main 2- and 4-lane state route about 25 miles east of my worksite, it showed the highway was gridlocked bumper to bumper for about 65 miles for 7½ hours as the people who had gradually descended on the area throughout the previous week or ten days decided to all try leaving the area at the same time after they saw what they came to see,

•• for two or three weeks after the "event" a few news stories were posted that motels and hotels had not been overrun with hordes of eclipse viewers from two or three days' drive away, and that had somehow messed up their business plans;
locals with a large yard or a small field behind their house were interviewed and reported how nice it was to have income from out-of-state eclipse viewers who had responded to their social media and craigslist ads for parking spaces for their tents, campers, motorhomes, etc.,
•• mom and pop grocery shops granted interviews where they reported they were concerned about spoilage of perishable goods, and trying to figure how to sell the three or five shipping containers of extra unsold stock they had bought to get them through "eclipse week" without running out, since they had read all the predictions that the area would probably be overrun with 7- 10 million out-of-town eclipse viewers who may deplete store supplies within a couple days, and suppliers would probably need close to two months to catch up again........but it may take three to four months to catch up on ice cream stock again, because the cows may go into Mammary Gland Distress Disorder Syndrome because a few minutes of extended shade in the middle of the day, during the eeeeek-lips could cause a total bovine meltdown in the cow-lendar milking schedule

ajbrenn Loc: Goshen, IN

My mother talked about the 1932 eclipse and remembered how all the birds and animals were silent.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

The last partial eclipse image of ground and sunshine showing the shadows from tree leaves acting to show the eclipse is seen below, this is at the time of maximum effect (shown by the reshaped shadows of the leaves), exposure was F11 160 ISO 800, around 4stopos BELOW BDE Basic Daylight Exposure (rule of 16 is another notation for BDE).

You may expect to experience larger loss of light during a full eclipse, but, the volume of light will change as the eclipse progresses.

(Download)

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

Yes, imagination is a powerful thing. So is common sense. During that first clips I experienced on the North Side of San Antonio, location was 1604 and I-10, on the high hill just above Mc. Donna Brothers Quarry, I was renting the home on top of that hill.

So, your so correct, animals do not act any differently. With heavy leather gloves on picking up a completely docile 7 foot diamond back rattle snake and moving it away from where I was photographing the nude model that day(you know girls, there such a bother over snakes!). Stupid snake!

Here is the post in the nude forum:
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-803690-1.html

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

I would agree with this statement, I have discovered the same in my life.

Tim.

bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada

During the August 2017 I noticed dogs started howling during the eclipse. Sorta eerie!

bwa