Dir; Kathleen Harris | Ireland, Doc 50′
This appealing documentary about the work of Irish ornithologist Sean Ronayne captures one of the most extraordinary starling murmurations ever seen on film, or in real life.
Starlings are not on the brink of extinction but many birds are according to Ronayne, who is on a quest to record the sound of every living bird species in Ireland, home to some 200 birds.
The young Irishman, who lives in Cobb, Country Cork, believes that sound is one of the most emotive of the human senses, and appealing to our childhood memories of individual birdsong is the best way to raise the awareness of this impending ecological disaster.
Birdsong is the award-winning debut feature documentary from filmmaker Kathleen Harris. It travels to some of Ireland’s most beautiful and remote locations to capture its most elusive species and soundscapes: the busy seabird colony of Skellig Michael (where Star Wars was filmed); a native woodland free from road noise in the Burren; the corncrake stronghold of Tory Island; a solitary nest in the Donegal uplands.
Often accompanied by his Catalan partner Alba, Sean, who suffers from autism and a heightened sensitivity to all kinds of noises, admits to preferring the company of wildlife to that of humans. And so this beautiful yet remote part of Ireland has proved an inspiration for his pioneering work that speaks volumes about the state of our natural world. Luckily the volume is low and tuneful rather than loud and raucous! @MeredithTaylor
BIRDSONG | SCREENING ON BBC Four | 12 MARCH 2025