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May 23 2025
3In a quiet corner of County Cork, Irish ornithologist Sean Ronayne is capturing the voices of a vanishing world. Armed with an audio recorder and deep passion for nature, Ronayne is documenting every bird species in Ireland, creating an unprecedented sonic archive of the nation’s avian life.
His mission, now over four years in progress, has so far produced more than 12,000 sound clips from 201 different species. Only two birds—the great skua and red-breasted merganser—remain elusive in his quest to complete the collection.
“This is about more than just sound,” says the 37-year-old from his home near the coastal town of Cobh. “It’s about understanding what we’re losing—and why we need to act.”
Conservation organizations warn that approximately 63% of Ireland’s bird species are under threat, categorized as either red or amber-listed due to severe or moderate extinction risk. Ronayne’s work has become both a call to action and a source of hope.
Despite the alarming decline in biodiversity, Ronayne remains focused on the beauty that still exists. “Birds are in trouble, here and globally,” he notes. “But I choose to highlight what’s still here—the wonder, the music of nature—because that’s what inspires people to care.”
Ireland’s countryside, often romanticized for its lush greenery, is, in Ronayne’s view, a degraded habitat. Intensive agriculture, deforested uplands, and drained peatlands have replaced much of the country’s native ecosystems. Even its forest cover, only 11% of the total land, is dominated by non-native conifer plantations, which Ronayne labels as “biodiversity deserts.”
Through books, albums, and a successful documentary, Ronayne shares not just data but emotional resonance. His nationwide speaking tour, which blends storytelling with immersive audio, continues to attract sold-out crowds.
At these events, audiences are treated to a chorus of warbles, trills, and calls, with some birds imitating dogs, humans, and other bird species. “Some species in my archive can mimic 30 to 40 other sounds,” he reveals, adding that the reactions are often emotional—laughter, surprise, and sometimes tears.
Diagnosed with autism later in life, Ronayne speaks candidly about how his deep connection to nature has shaped his journey. “If people truly understood how amazing wildlife is, they wouldn’t let it slip away,” he says.
Beyond the stage, Ronayne leads "dawn chorus" walks, guiding small groups through remote woodlands before sunrise. As birds awaken, their songs swell into a rich soundscape that he describes as “a measure of environmental health.” The more varied the sounds, the healthier the ecosystem, he explains.
To expand his archive, Ronayne also places recording equipment in secluded locations, sometimes for weeks at a time. On a recent outing to Ballycotton beach, he carefully tucked a waterproof device into the grass to capture the sounds of migratory birds overhead.
Back in his studio, Ronayne meticulously catalogs his recordings using sonograms—visual graphs of sound—accompanied by detailed notes on species behavior and conservation status. Many of the birds featured are, once again, marked red or amber.
“What we’re doing to nature is irreversible if we don’t act,” Ronayne warns. “But when we fall back in love with the natural world and remember to cherish it, extraordinary things can happen.”
Through sound, Sean Ronayne is giving voice to Ireland’s birds—before it’s too late.
Source:https://phys.org/news/2025-05-tune-nature-expert-ireland-bird.html
This is non-financial/medical advice and made using AI so could be wrong.
