Back in August, I challenged my readers to submit their observations of how their local crows responded to the total (or partial depending on your location) eclipse that occurred on the 21st. Six of you offered up your observations and suffice it to say they ran the gamut. From completely typical behavior to massive gatherings deemed unusual, there was no pattern to the handful of observations that were reported. Here’s my summary of what you observed:
Three people reported no changes in behavior, with one person even witnessing a crow flying overhead during the moment of totality.
Two people reported seeing more crows than usual and that they were more noisy. Almost like a typical pre-roosting behavior but in the middle of the day.
One person reported that the birds were more quiet than usual, and remained quiet for 30min after the eclipse.
I myself failed to find any corvids during the totality but I did watch a sparrow (not identified to species) forage on the ground just before, and just after the totality. I did not see where it was during the few moments of complete totality, though given its proximity to its position prior to totality I reasoned it must not have gone far and could have easily been foraging as before just without my detection.
Thanks for sharing your notes everyone! Looking forward to the next round in seven years 🙂
corvidresearch.blog 
Neskowin, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, in line with 100% totality. The sun was visible, but as the sky darkened the temperature dropped and the fog rolled in, obscuring the sun. All the birds became silent. I was observing my ravens in a tree off the deck, both adults and their big fledgling. The family pulled together close and tucked in, remaining that way for some time until all seemed ‘normal’ again.