Latest news with #ornithologist
BBC News
03-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Scarborough Grand Hotel 'highly suitable' for kittiwake nest site
Nests for up to 1,050 kittiwakes could be installed at a landmark hotel as part of efforts to limit noise and mess from the birds.A council-funded study identified the terrace of Scarborough's Grand Hotel as a "highly suitable" location to house a series of artificial nesting structures (ANS).It was one of four sites inspected by an ornithologist as part of ongoing work aimed at managing the impact of the town's kittiwake of North Yorkshire Council's Scarborough and Whitby area committee are set to discuss the findings at a meeting on Friday. Earlier this year the council drafted a new strategy aimed at addressing issues around noise, mess and aggressive behaviour by sea birds in the town - of which kittiwakes are thought to be the "most abundant".As part if the study, four sites were inspected - Star Map in South Cliff Gardens, the derelict concrete chalets, and the Old Bathing report found the Grand Hotel's terrace to be "the most significant" location, describing it as an "almost perfect ecological site" due to its "close proximity to existing nesting colonies and its orientation towards the sea".It said the hotel's terrace presented a "maximum design opportunity" for an artificial nesting structure with up to 1,050 nesting spaces, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, though said such sites "may only ever be 50 to 60 per cent occupied when fully colonised".It was also noted that the structures "do not need to be elaborate or expensive" and could be as simple as a series of purpose-made shelving, made from marine ply or other durable wood and supported by a steel report added that the installation of ANS in the town "represents an opportunity beyond just re-locating numbers of breeding Kittiwake" and could lead to an approach problems caused by the birds which "considers both the needs of local residents and businesses and the support of wild bird populations". Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Asharq Al-Awsat
23-05-2025
- General
- Asharq Al-Awsat
In Tune with Nature: Expert Sounds Out all of Ireland's Bird Species
On a mission to record all of Ireland's bird species, many of which are dying out, Irishman Sean Ronayne calls his unique audio archive a tool to both raise alarm and bring hope. According to conservation bodies, some 63 percent of Ireland's birds are currently either red or amber-listed, meaning they are at severe or moderate extinction risk. "Birds are in trouble in Ireland like they are across the world, the loss of wildlife -- sonically and physically -- is devastating to me," said the 37-year-old. "But I focus on hope and beauty, which is essential," the ornithologist told AFP at his home near Cobh (pronounced "Cove") in County Cork. More than four years into his recording project he has sampled 201 different Irish bird species, stocking over 12,000 audio clips from around the country, Ronayne told AFP. Just two remain to be documented: the great skua, and red-breasted merganser. "If people realize just how spectacular wildlife is, there's no way they would let it disappear, attitudes would change," Ronayne said. - Sound: 'an engaging tool' - Ireland may be famed for its green fields, but Ronayne paints a bleak picture -- "realistic" he says -- of a degraded landscape and a bird population decimated by vanishing habitats. Most of Ireland comprises intensively farmed fields bounded by trimmed hedgerows, drained and mined peatlands, overgrazed uplands, and minimal native woodland, he told AFP. Non-native conifer plantations -- approximately nine percent of Ireland's 11 percent forest cover -- are also a biodiversity villain, described by Ronayne as "a species-poor industrial cash-crop". "I try to show people the beauty of what we're erasing and what we must stand up and fight for," said the wildlife expert. Last year he published an award-winning book, released two albums, and made an acclaimed documentary film. His talk tour is currently selling out venues around Ireland. "Wildlife sound is such a great engaging tool to connect people to nature itself and get them acquainted with everything that's on their doorstep," Ronayne told AFP. "If you know your neighbor you're more likely to help them in times of need," he said. At the shows Ronayne, who was diagnosed with a form of autism as an adult, presents the story of his life and how nature is woven through it. He also plays audio of warbles, tweets, trills, screeches and chirps, and mystery sounds, inviting the audience to guess the origin. Some clips show birds mimicking other animals like dogs, people and other bird species. "Some species in my collection can mimic 30 to 40 other species in their song," he said. Laughter is common at his talks, but also tears and grief as listeners learn of Ireland's endangered birdlife. 'Sonic diversity' Ronayne regularly holds "dawn chorus" walks, bringing small groups into silent forests far from road noise to experience the birdlife waking up. A gradually building cacophony of sound, the dawn chorus is "a reflection of the health of a given environment", he told AFP in an old woodland near his home while waiting for sunrise. "The more sonically diverse it is, the healthier the habitat is," he said. After unpacking his audio recorder, parabolic microphone and tripod, he quickly identified the melodies of song thrushes, robins, blackbirds, goldcrests and others as they greeted the day. "Chiffchaff! Did you hear that?! There's a grey wagtail!" he exclaimed, head twitching toward each sound in the lifting gloom. Ronayne also hides recorders for weeks and even months in remote untouched places where birds congregate. On Ballycotton beach near Cobh, migrating birds swirled overhead before settling on an adjacent lagoon. Ronayne carefully placed a waterproof recorder -- able to run for up two weeks -- in grass by the shore. "They have to fly right over here to there," he said pointing upwards at their route. "After I collect it I'll be able to monitor the birds, capture their calls, and tell environmental stories from the audio," he said. Back home, he scrolled on a computer showing thousands of archived sonogram clips -- visual representations of sound -- of birdsong audio. Each entry included data on the behavior, calls and protected status of each bird: many either red or amber. "First we must realize how wonderful nature is, then how fragile it is, and how much we have kicked it down," Ronayne told AFP. "When we as a society fall back in love with nature, and respect it as we once did, beautiful things will happen."
Arab News
23-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
In tune with nature: expert sounds out all of Ireland's bird species
COBH, Ireland: On a mission to record all of Ireland's bird species, many of which are dying out, Irishman Sean Ronayne calls his unique audio archive a tool to both raise alarm and bring hope. According to conservation bodies, some 63 percent of Ireland's birds are currently either red or amber-listed, meaning they are at severe or moderate extinction risk. 'Birds are in trouble in Ireland like they are across the world, the loss of wildlife — sonically and physically — is devastating to me,' said the 37-year-old. 'But I focus on hope and beauty, which is essential,' the ornithologist told AFP at his home near Cobh (pronounced 'Cove') in County Cork. More than four years into his recording project he has sampled 201 different Irish bird species, stocking over 12,000 audio clips from around the country, Ronayne told AFP. Just two remain to be documented: the great skua, and red-breasted merganser. 'If people realize just how spectacular wildlife is, there's no way they would let it disappear, attitudes would change,' Ronayne said. Ireland may be famed for its green fields, but Ronayne paints a bleak picture — 'realistic' he says — of a degraded landscape and a bird population decimated by vanishing habitats. Most of Ireland comprises intensively farmed fields bounded by trimmed hedgerows, drained and mined peatlands, overgrazed uplands, and minimal native woodland, he told AFP. Non-native conifer plantations — approximately nine percent of Ireland's 11 percent forest cover — are also a biodiversity villain, described by Ronayne as 'a species-poor industrial cash-crop.' 'I try to show people the beauty of what we're erasing and what we must stand up and fight for,' said the wildlife expert. Last year he published an award-winning book, released two albums, and made an acclaimed documentary film. His talk tour is currently selling out venues around Ireland. 'Wildlife sound is such a great engaging tool to connect people to nature itself and get them acquainted with everything that's on their doorstep,' Ronayne told AFP. 'If you know your neighbor you're more likely to help them in times of need,' he said. At the shows Ronayne, who was diagnosed with a form of autism as an adult, presents the story of his life and how nature is woven through it. He also plays audio of warbles, tweets, trills, screeches and chirps, and mystery sounds, inviting the audience to guess the origin. Some clips show birds mimicking other animals like dogs, people and other bird species. 'Some species in my collection can mimic 30 to 40 other species in their song,' he said. Laughter is common at his talks, but also tears and grief as listeners learn of Ireland's endangered birdlife. Ronayne regularly holds 'dawn chorus' walks, bringing small groups into silent forests far from road noise to experience the birdlife waking up. A gradually building cacophony of sound, the dawn chorus is 'a reflection of the health of a given environment,' he told AFP in an old woodland near his home while waiting for sunrise. 'The more sonically diverse it is, the healthier the habitat is,' he said. After unpacking his audio recorder, parabolic microphone and tripod, he quickly identified the melodies of song thrushes, robins, blackbirds, goldcrests and others as they greeted the day. 'Chiffchaff! Did you hear that?! There's a grey wagtail!' he exclaimed, head twitching toward each sound in the lifting gloom. Ronayne also hides recorders for weeks and even months in remote untouched places where birds congregate. On Ballycotton beach near Cobh, migrating birds swirled overhead before settling on an adjacent lagoon. Ronayne carefully placed a waterproof recorder — able to run for up two weeks — in grass by the shore. 'They have to fly right over here to there,' he said pointing upwards at their route. 'After I collect it I'll be able to monitor the birds, capture their calls, and tell environmental stories from the audio,' he said. Back home, he scrolled on a computer showing thousands of archived sonogram clips — visual representations of sound — of birdsong audio. Each entry included data on the behavior, calls and protected status of each bird: many either red or amber. 'First we must realize how wonderful nature is, then how fragile it is, and how much we have kicked it down,' Ronayne told AFP. 'When we as a society fall back in love with nature, and respect it as we once did, beautiful things will happen.'
