ON APRIL 8TH, THE MIDDAY AFTERNOON SKY WILL TURN DARK. THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WILL STOP IN THEIR TRACKS AND LOOK UP, AND EVEN THE WILDLIFE WILL CHANGE THEIR WAYS. WE ALSO FOUND THAT FISH AND INSECTS ARE DOING SOME REALLY COOL STUFF. DOCTOR NATE BICKFORD IS A NEW HAMPSHIRE NATIVE, NOW A PROFESSOR AT OREGON TECH WHO SPECIALIZES IN ANIMAL BEHAVIOR. BASED ON HIS RESEARCH FROM THE 2017 SOLAR ECLIPSE, BICKFORD SAYS WE CAN EXPECT A BIG CHANGE FROM ANIMALS THAT RESPOND TO DAYLIGHT AND DARKNESS, ESPECIALLY BIRDS. YOU MIGHT HAVE A, YOU KNOW, A GROUP OF, I DON’T KNOW, RED WINGED BLACKBIRDS OR SOMETHING THAT ARE FLYING OUT AND THEY HAVE THESE HUGE FLOCKS AND, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS, UH, UH, SOLAR ECLIPSE COMES ALONG AND THEY’LL ACTUALLY TURN AROUND AND START GOING BACK TO THEIR ROOST. UM, A LOT OF WATERFOWL DO THAT AS WELL. BICKFORD SAYS. IT’S A RESPONSE TO A CHANGE IN LIGHT IN INTENSITY. BUT THERE’S ONE THING HE HASN’T YET FIGURED OUT. THERE’S SOME GREAT REPORTS OF, UM, BELIEVABLY ACTIVE FISHING. UM, WHICH WHICH IS AN INTERESTING, UH, COMPONENT. BICKFORD DOESN’T HAVE A SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION FOR WHY THE FISHING IS SO GOOD DURING A TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE, BUT HE RECOMMENDS EVERYONE TRY IT. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. UH, I HAVE SOME GOOD FRIENDS HERE IN OREGON THAT WENT FISHING, AND I GUESS IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST REMARKABLE DAYS THEY’VE EVER HAD. SO AND WHATEVER YOU EXPERIENCE ON APRIL 8TH, POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA, BICKFORD SAYS YOUR FINDINGS COULD BE PART OF HIS NEXT STUDY. IT’S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR CITIZEN SCIENCE. PEOPLE POST ON SOCIAL MEDIA ABOUT WILDLIFE BEHAVIOR. WILL WILL BE DIGGING UP THE DATA. SO, UM,
Will the solar eclipse have an effect on animals and bugs?
Updated: 12:00 PM CDT Apr 7, 2024
There will be a night and day change with Monday’s solar eclipse, and with it, a little bit of confusion for Mother Nature as nocturnal insects and animals will start to wake.Researchers at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science explained that when the skies darken during the eclipse, it will puzzle animals.“It’s going to go from hearing crickets to start seeing their nighttime behavior, you’re going to see birds start their roosting, start their bedding down behavior. Dogs might be a little confused, might shake their head and be like, (what?),” said Nicole Smith, a conservation educator.State herpetologist Emily Fields said frog behavior changes are some of the most noticeable during the eclipse.“If you ever heard something that sounds like a creepy chuckle, or if you have a wet thumb and you’re rubbing on a balloon, that’s a leopard frog. They sound like a creepy chuckle,” Fields said. Smith said it’s great to take note of animal behavior before, during and after the eclipse. You can sign up to join the Eclipse Soundscapes project run by NASA. It gives everyone the chance to study how the eclipse affects life on Earth so you can document your observations and submit them to a greater cause.“It was an eclipse that showed us what helium was. It was an eclipse that proved Einstein’s Theory of Relativity,” Smith said. “I think any time you get to learn something new is just a blessing, and I think the eclipse offers many opportunities to learn something about the world around us. Historically, they have a record of revealing new scientific facts to us.”So, before you put on your eclipse glasses and look up at the sky on Monday, open your eyes and ears to the world around you and pay attention to the animals in your backyard.
There will be a night and day change with Monday’s solar eclipse, and with it, a little bit of confusion for Mother Nature as nocturnal insects and animals will start to wake.
Researchers at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science explained that when the skies darken during the eclipse, it will puzzle animals.
“It’s going to go from hearing crickets to start seeing their nighttime behavior, you’re going to see birds start their roosting, start their bedding down behavior. Dogs might be a little confused, might shake their head and be like, (what?),” said Nicole Smith, a conservation educator.
State herpetologist Emily Fields said frog behavior changes are some of the most noticeable during the eclipse.
“If you ever heard something that sounds like a creepy chuckle, or if you have a wet thumb and you’re rubbing on a balloon, that’s a leopard frog. They sound like a creepy chuckle,” Fields said.
Smith said it’s great to take note of animal behavior before, during and after the eclipse. You can sign up to join the Eclipse Soundscapes project run by NASA. It gives everyone the chance to study how the eclipse affects life on Earth so you can document your observations and submit them to a greater cause.
“It was an eclipse that showed us what helium was. It was an eclipse that proved Einstein’s Theory of Relativity,” Smith said. “I think any time you get to learn something new is just a blessing, and I think the eclipse offers many opportunities to learn something about the world around us. Historically, they have a record of revealing new scientific facts to us.”
So, before you put on your eclipse glasses and look up at the sky on Monday, open your eyes and ears to the world around you and pay attention to the animals in your backyard.
