The Total Eclipse, a Killdeer and the Power of a Crowd

Port Burwell Lighthouse and sky-gazers at the time of totality

Monday, April 8, 2024, dawned cloudy with scattered showers in our part of the world. The weather forecast provided hope of clearing skies by afternoon along the north shore of Lake Erie. We travelled south-west to Port Burwell, a small beach community in the path of totality. We arrived at noon, just as the cloud cover moved east. Some people had camped overnight on the beach but a handful of parking spots remained within walking distance of the lake. It was a perfect location with free parking, free bathrooms, a picturesque setting, and a friendly crowd of people. 

We walked to the end of the pier and met a lady handing out free eclipse glasses and NASA stickers. People were setting up cameras and a couple beside us with a telescope invited children and adults to look through the lens. 

We cut across an island of grass dividing the entrance and exit of the parking lot and flushed out a nesting Kildeer. The pair of birds were getting very anxious about the crowds of people walking near their nest. The beachfront has few visitors most years until at least the end of May. My daughter and I decided to set up our chairs and camera tripod on either side of the nest to offer a little protection for the eggs. Ground nests appear very vulnerable but the eggs were close to a pile of rocks that offered some protection and camouflage. Eventually, the Killdeer returned to the nest after recognizing we were not predators. 

Four Killdeer Eggs

The location was excellent for viewing the sun and was somewhat protected from the cool east wind. My daughter took all the eclipse photos as I watched the birds and the crowd. 

The children and their mom allowed me to take pictures of the creative masks attached to their solar glasses. The eclipse progressed quickly holding the interest of even the youngest observers. Totality lasted 2 minutes and 55 seconds at this location. When totality arrived there were loud cheers, clapping and an air of excitement that is very hard to describe. This was not a winning sports team or an outdoor music concert but a human response to an amazing celestial event. It gave me goosebumps and was one of the most amazing things I have observed in my lifetime.

Looking south at Lake Erie during totality

Becka took pictures on my Canon SX70 point-and-shoot camera that we had fitted with a solar filter. She had to take the solar filter off during totality to get enough light for a photograph. We could view the sun safely at this time without eye protection. The collage below contains some of her photos and shows the progression of the eclipse from the beginning to shortly after totality.

From start to finish, it was an absolutely perfect day!