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Sean Ronayne has fond memories of going for walks with his father in the countryside near their home. As a child, he was often very active and would cry frequently. To calm him down, his father would take him out to the woods and imitate the sounds of the birds, quizzing Sean on what species they were. Looking back, Sean realizes that he was essentially being trained to become an ornithologist from a very young age. This is where his passion for birds began.

As Ronayne aged, he developed a tendency for solitude and would often occupy himself by observing birds in his Cobh, County Cork garden through binoculars. He would jot down their names in a notebook and by the age of 14, he was able to recognize most birds by their distinctive calls.

At the age of 35, Ronayne has set out to capture the sounds of all bird species found in Ireland. So far, he has collected almost 10,000 recordings and, after carefully analyzing them on his laptop, has identified 194 species that are commonly heard. He explains to me in his usual precise manner that he has three main species left to record – the grey partridge, great skua, and red-breasted merganser – before moving on to secondary species that are not as frequently encountered.

Ronayne’s intense passion for birds and their melodies has earned him the title of Ireland’s most renowned bird expert and a strong supporter of preserving biodiversity and promoting ecological consciousness. Following his appearance on a well-known Irish talk show hosted by comedian Tommy Tiernan, which gained widespread attention on social media, he has unexpectedly become a somewhat reluctant public figure. Reflecting on the experience, he admits to feeling a bit overwhelmed as a naturally reserved person, but he is grateful for the opportunity to raise awareness for his greatest passion.

I am currently conversing with Ronayne via phone in rural Cork, where he has informed me that he is “standing near some cow fields while conducting a bird survey.” To my surprise, he shares that these are not his preferred locations. In the upcoming documentary, Birdsong, he elaborates on why this is the case. During one of his illustrated talks, he captivates the audience by explaining, “If you were to look at a map of Ireland on Google, you would see a patchwork of densely populated cow fields. The hedgerows that once divided them have been destroyed, bogs are being drained, and delicate upland areas are being replaced with conifer plantations.” He goes on to describe these plantations as desolate and lacking in biodiversity, just as their name suggests.

Ronayne’s fascination with bird life grew when he resided in Catalunya and immersed himself in the landscapes and ecology of the Pyrenees. He recalls it as a truly untamed and picturesque place, where he could be completely alone with his thoughts and surrounded by unfamiliar sounds. Upon his return to Ireland, he initially felt a sense of loss. It made him realize that all that remained in Ireland were fragments of those wild spaces, and he wondered how he could adapt. In a sense, his work revolves around capturing the magnificence of what still exists and raising awareness among people, in hopes of making a positive change.

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While in Catalunya, he crossed paths with his partner, Alba, who now joins him on numerous sound research trips. At first, he recalls with amusement, she had to tolerate his intense passion for birds. As the documentary uncovers, Alba was fascinated by his all-encompassing focus on birds and seemingly disinterest in sharing personal details. This sparked her pursuit of a master’s degree in education, with a focus on autism.

“I noticed that he had some unique qualities,” she explains to the filmmakers. “I had to adjust my approach when interacting with him. I gained a lot of knowledge from the experience.” Similarly, Ronayne also realized the importance of understanding. “Everything began to fall into place,” he shares. “I decided to seek a diagnosis in order to comprehend it and discover coping strategies.”

For someone who admits to once being shy to the point of antisocial, Ronayne is an engaging public speaker who effortlessly imparts his own wonderment at each new discovery he makes to the audiences that now fill local halls in Ireland to hear him speak. He tells me of a recent speaking event he held at “a festival in Wicklow where people primarily wanted to party, yet the marquee was packed”. Afterwards, he led a guided walk through the nearby fields and the entire audience followed in his wake. It was, he says, “an extraordinarily powerful and moving moment”.

Ronayne is preparing to publish a digital album titled Wild Silence, which will consist of 15-minute tracks designed to capture the natural sounds of undisturbed habitats. One track features a dawn chorus, starting with a solitary cuckoo and gradually incorporating other birds as they awaken. Another track records the intimate interactions of puffins in their burrow on a rocky cliff, including their footsteps and the unique sound they make when they clap their bills. This occurs when the male puffin returns with food for the female.

The most well-liked part of Ronayne’s public presentations is when he discusses the impressive skill of certain bird species to imitate other birds and animals they encounter. He shares an experience of walking with his dog in the forest and hearing what he believed was another dog barking nearby, but later realizing it was a jay making the sound from above. He praises these birds as extraordinary and explains that when a jay mimics a dog, it is warning other jays of a danger on the ground, while mimicking a buzzard indicates a threat from above.

The common whitethroat, a small bird found in Ireland, embarks on an incredible journey every summer. It migrates through the Mediterranean in the fall and spends the winter months in Senegal, West Africa. During their long migration, they have the unique ability to imitate the sounds of other birds. One researcher, Ronayne, captured recordings of whitethroats in Ireland as they flew and sang vigorously. Upon analyzing the recordings, he found that 70% to 80% of their songs were actually mimicry of other bird species.

“It was a real revelation for me,” he exclaimed with excitement. “It completely changed my perspective on birds. Once you understand the mimicry in a bird’s song, it becomes a personal connection, but it also reveals a lot of information: where it lives, where it spends its winters, and where it has traveled in between. The seemingly ordinary bird on your doorstep is actually sharing its story by mimicking other species it has encountered. This also connects us, especially because our actions in Ireland can have consequences for their habitat in Senegal.”

Ronayne’s love for wild birds and their vulnerable habitats has resonated with the people of Ireland, who are just now coming to terms with the severity of their ecological crisis. He expresses frustration at the lack of awareness and understanding among many individuals, stating that Ireland has been one of the hardest hit countries in terms of loss of nature. Wetlands have decreased by 90%, surpassing any other country, and native tree coverage is only at 1%, the lowest in Europe.

The main problem is the practice of intensive farming, where over 60% of the land is dedicated to what the government refers to as “improved agricultural grassland”. This means that all other types of vegetation have been removed and replaced with rye grass for animal feed. This has resulted in fields being cut multiple times a year for silage, rather than having traditional hay meadows that would have supported nesting species such as the corncrake, skylark, lapwing, and curlew.

According to recent findings, 63% of Ireland’s indigenous bird species are in danger of disappearing entirely. This includes the hen harrier, a species native to Ireland that has experienced a significant decline in population. In the most recent national survey conducted in 2022, only 85 confirmed pairs were recorded. Ronayne reflects on the devastating reality, stating that Ireland has accumulated an alarming number of concerning statistics, indicating that nature is under attack from all sides.

Ronayne tracks many native birds in Birdsong against a scenic backdrop of mountains, wetlands, and the vast Irish skies. While these birds were once abundant, they are now endangered. Despite this, Ronayne remains cautiously optimistic and his sense of wonder is truly inspiring. He sets out to find the elusive corncrake on Tory Island and joins Alba on a journey to spend the night on Skellig Michael, one of two small rocky islands that tower above the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Kerry. This seemingly unwelcoming place was once home to hermit monks and is now a sanctuary for a diverse and noisy population of birds, including puffins, guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, fulmars, storm petrels, and the eerie-sounding Manx shearwater. Ronayne even manages to record the call of the Manx shearwater under a full moon, its reflection shimmering on the calm sea.

Despite the film’s occasional moments of natural beauty, there is an overall melancholic tone. Ronayne’s goal is to locate the elusive and scarce ring ouzel, which was once prevalent throughout Ireland but is now considered critically endangered after only one confirmed sighting last year. With the help of a sophisticated recording device hidden in the heather, he manages to capture the bird’s short, piercing tweets, making the first-ever recording of the species in Ireland. It is a poignant moment, especially because, as he poetically expresses, his recording of “the haunting and mournful song of the upland valleys” is essentially a sound of extinction.

I inquired with Ronayne about the difficulty of maintaining optimism in the face of irreversible ecological damage. He acknowledged the challenge, but stressed the importance of persevering and not succumbing to hopelessness. He also mentioned that the positive response to his efforts has increased his optimism, as people are seeking guidance. He believes that the younger generation, in particular, has a significant responsibility ahead of them. Ronayne feels it is crucial to convey the magnitude of the issues we are facing, while also appreciating the beauty and wonder of our environment.

• Seán Ronayne is on X at @SoundsIrish and Instagram @irishwildlifesounds; irishwildlifesounds.com. The documentary Birdsong will premiere at the Dublin international film festival on 29 February

Source: theguardian.com