The Lyric Feature: IMRO Award winning! - Feather and Flock
Ecologist and programme maker Anja Murray writes here about her new six part series for RTÉ lyric fm which she made in collaboration with folk musician and member of Ye Vagabonds Brían MacGloinn. '
Birds are all around us, calling out over rooftops; picking caterpillars from leafy tree tops; nesting amid the wildflowers of wet summer meadows; and hiding out in the shelter of hedgerows. While the habitats where wild birds live have been shaped and modified by human hand over millennia, the birds themselves are, in essence, still wild beings. They sing and dance to their own tune, just as evolution intended. And luckily for us, a great variety of wild birds can be easily seen and heard wherever one goes in Ireland.
It thus seemed an obvious choice for my friend and fellow bird enthusiast, Brían Mac Gloinn, and I, to make a radio series about Irelands wild birds. Brían is an accomplished musician, performer, music producer and at this stage has made several radio documentaries too, so combining his skills with my background as an ecologist, writer and broadcaster has worked wonderfully well.
We selected six species (in some cases species groups) that represent a range of bird life in Ireland, including migratory birds (Cuckoo); clever crow family (Jay); breeding waders (Lapwing); a songbird (Skylark); seabirds and global travellers (Terns); and raptors (Golden eagle & White-tailed Sea eagle). Together we have spent a year visiting inspiring interviewees across the country, hearing their stories about how and why birds sing; about epic annual migrations; about bird behaviour and intelligence; and conservation and reintroduction projects.