What’s it like to be on an alpaca farm for one of the most anticipated events in solistial history?  Prince Edward County was on the path of totality, and the weekend leading up to the big event was a busy one on the farm! 

Like many we didn’t know what to expect as it related to animal behaviour during the total eclipse.    Would birds really fall from the sky? Would our rescue dog Walter howl at the moon?  Would the spring frogs be silenced?  It was in many ways an eerie yet spectacular occurrence – even if the skies were overcast and the full impact of the moon passing the sun couldn’t be fully viewed.

It did become dark, quickly!  We waited and wandered around the farm as the skies darkened, mostly interested in security of the alpaca and the rescue horses we also have on the farm.  Horses in particular are notorious for reacting to sudden wind changes and are more in tune with weather conditions generally.  As the sky turned dark, the dusk-to-dawn lights on the farm started to light-up paths and barn buildings.  The alpaca took notice, as did the horses.  The wind died-down (which in Prince Edward County is omnipresent) and there was a strange silence in the air.  The stillness highlighted the lack of vehicular traffic in the area, as no audible sound from local roadways was apparent.

The horses made a quick move to the edge of the fields, and stood along the fence line in single file, aware of the change in daylight, but remained calm. We were relieved! 

The alpacas reacted by moving closer together in “herd mentality” which is to be expected – but something very odd indeed happened.  The girls (dams) started plonking around the paddocks as a group, quickly moving from one paddock to the other, in unison and with intent for the duration of the 3 minutes of complete darkness landing at the barn doors thinking it was time to come in for the day.  When the sky brightened, they remained at the barn for several hours until it was time to come in for the night.  They looked puzzled and confused for a while, but then settled in to wait for us to begin evening feeding.  The boys (sires) in the paddocks near-by had all lined-up along the fence line and watched from afar, but did not behave the same, choosing to stand still throughout the entire eclipse. 

Witnessing a historic event like this reminds us that on a farm anything is possible, and in particular how animals respond. 

The Eclipse weekend preceding the big day featured a magical and mystical series of workshops and tarot card readings on the farm, exploring the power of the suns energy as it relates to tarot cards, culminating in a spectacular dinner in partnership with Closson Chase Vineyards and with Chef Stuart Cameron from Bocado in Picton.