ES Learning Community

Eclipse Soundscapes collected sound data and observations from the October 2023 annular and April 2024 total solar eclipses to study their impact on U.S. ecosystems. As we process and share this data, we’ll provide updates through webinars, social media, and our email list. We’ll also highlight similar projects, so stay involved for more insights!

During this webinar, Dr. Brent Pease, an expert in wildlife conservation, soundscapes, and participatory science, shared early findings from audio data collected by ES Data Collectors during the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses. During the eclipses, volunteer scientists used sound recorders called AudioMoths to capture how animals and the environment reacted to the sudden midday darkness. What changes in sound were recorded? How did the eclipse affect the behavior of birds, insects, and other wildlife? Dr. Pease walked us through these questions and revealed what scientists are uncovering from this large-scale research effort. The talk highlights the power of participatory science and how anyone, regardless of background, can contribute to real scientific discoveries.

During the solar eclipses of October 2023 and April 2024, 53 Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) teams across the country launched balloons carrying instruments to gather data about the effect of the eclipse on the atmosphere. There were numerous challenges, some expected and some not, associated with gathering a wide set of meaningful data, then performing quality control procedures on that data, and ultimately documenting and posting it for public access and general use. The Eclipse Soundscapes (ES) community knows these challenges well, having worked through similar complexities in collecting, processing, and analyzing large-scale sound data from the 2023 & 2024 eclipses. NEBP will speak with the ES community to share their experiences in overcoming these challenges, discussing both their project’s approach and broader best practices for managing large experimental datasets.

In this talk, Brent Pease discussed how darkness during the day affected wildlife and highlight the power of the public in large-scale research. Dr. Pease played a key role in the Eclipse Soundscapes project as a facilitator, organizing and engaging almost 100 volunteers to participate as Data Collectors during the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse. These volunteers deployed AudioMoth devices to capture soundscapes from various sites, contributing to a large-scale participatory science effort. Now, Dr. Pease is collaborating with the Eclipse Soundscapes team to analyze all of the collected Eclipse Soundscapes data, helping to uncover how eclipses influence animal behavior through sound.

Brent Pease is an assistant professor in the Forestry Program at Southern Illinois University, where he researches and teaches topics in wildlife conservation and management. He earned his doctorate in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology from North Carolina State University. A native of southern Illinois, Dr. Pease enjoys being back in the region to raise his family among the public lands and state parks of Illinois.

On October 23, 2024 Eclipse Soundscapes hosted a community webinar, where attendees learned how AudioMoth devices donated by the Eclipse Soundscapes project will be contributing to scientific research. Brad Bumgardner, Executive Director at Indiana Audubon, introduced their pilot program, Echoes of the Night Sky, which focuses on nocturnal migration monitoring in Indiana. This initiative, launched in Spring 2024, aimed to collect data on nocturnal flight calls to better understand bird migration patterns. The donated AudioMoth devices will help to expand the program.

Due to a technical issue with the Closed Captioning (CC) for the October 23 webinar recording, you can instead download the October 23 transcript as a PDF here.

In this recorded Eclipse Soundscapes Community webinar, Don Ficken of Dark Sky Missouri discussed two projects using AudioMoths, donated by the Eclipse Soundscapes community, to protect nature at night. The first project, Nocturnal Flight Calls – Lights Out Heartland, analyzes nocturnal bird calls during migration to encourage turning off lights at night. The second project captures nighttime sounds to connect the public and conservationists with nocturnal wildlife and promote reducing outdoor lighting. Both projects are being piloted in St. Louis with plans to expand. The webinar highlighted how AudioMoths support scientific exploration. You can also read more in our August Blog post titled “Blog – Dark Sky Missouri Uses AudioMoths to Study Nature at Night.”