To celebrate the beginning of spring in the Gaelic calendar, ornithologist Seán Ronayne is across the schedule on RTÉ lyric fm with a new series to discuss the distinct bird songs, melodies and calls that we have today in Ireland. Listen to Sean celebrate the joys of the jay above...
About The Chough: The translated Irish name of the jay, the screamer of the woods, is the most perfect description of this colourful crow. With a salmon coloured body and an electric blue wing panel, the Irish jay is a bird to behold. Ireland actually has its own distinct race of jay: Garrulus glandarius hibernicus. And, as often is the case, this latin name describes the bird so well:
-Garrulus means 'noisy';
-glandarius means 'of acorns’, referring to the jays preferred cuisine
-and hibernicus refers to its Irish roots, with such birds being somewhat darker than it’s UK and mainland European counterparts.
Jays are not just screamers of the wood, they’re also wonderful songsters, who whisper their tunes in private. Complex tunes with laser-like sounds.
Bird Songs with Seán Ronayne, RTÉ lyric fm, February 1st – 16th - listen back here
