Erin Hauge
Blog by Erin Hauge
August 21, 2017
Our team was out on the morning of the total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, though the maximum eclipse would be only 79% in Sacramento at 10:29am. We all headed out eager to see the landscape and watch how animals and birds might respond to the effects of the moon’s travel across the face of the sun. Would we see confused animals or would all the critters carry on as usual? Animals are known to change their behaviors in response to a total eclipse from bats taking flight, to songbirds going silent, to coyotes howling, to crickets beginning to chirp. Granted, we were nowhere near the parts of the country that would see total darkness and 20 degree temperature cooling when the eclipse occurred. When I did a quick search of the internet for how mountain lions might respond to a solar eclipse, I didn’t find anything - a testament to how little is still truly known about these intelligent and secretive animals.
We started out at 7am and headed to our farthest cameras. When we got there, there was a sense of stillness, birds were singing and though the sun was shining we noticed the light was a touch off. As we continued to the next camera area, we came upon a young coyote who was intent on smelling an area at the side of the road, seemingly ignoring us in the vehicle until he finally looked around, gazed our way for a few seconds, and then surprisingly casually moseyed off down the road and into a stand of trees where he again turned to observe us through the vegetation.
Young and curious! Erin Hauge
By this time the light was starting to appear shimmery and shiny, with a slight grey tinge. We worked our way through the next several cameras and noted that an old partial deer carcass that coyotes had likely dragged to the side of the road several weeks prior was still there. At one camera, a hawk was making an interesting call to its companion. The raptor didn't seem alarmed but was quite insistent. Because the hawk was backlit and never took flight we’re not sure if it was a youngster or what species he or she was but maybe a young red-shouldered?
This hawk had a lot to say as the eclipse approached. Erin Hauge
We moved on to the next camera and it was clear this is where we’d be when the total eclipse took place. We got out of the vehicle and quietly and slowly moved around the camera area, not seeing any animal activity but noticing the crescent shadows beginning to form. Colors on the landscape began to lose their contrast and everything looked grey and still but illuminated by a shimmery light.
Crescent shadows forming during the eclipse. Erin Hauge
The eclipse began to end quietly and unceremoniously and we headed back to see if we'd spot a lion on one of the SD cards. We saw some great animals on the cameras from the week before but no mountain lions. We’ll back next week!
Coyote. Canis latrans. Bureau of Land Management
North American River Otter. Lontra canadensis. Bureau of Land Management
Black-tailed Deer, Doe and spotted fawns. Odocoileus hemionus columbianus. Bureau of Land Management
Skunk hot on the tail of a raccoon! Bureau of Land Management
