The Seán Chorus

This week, follow Seán on a heartfelt journey to track the ring ouzel, from the high slopes of Catalonia to the windswept hills of Donegal to record Ireland’s last known breeding pair. Along the way, he reflects on nocturnal migration, the heavy emotional reality of recording a species on the brink of extinction, and how facing this loss can inspire hope and action for our wild spaces.

This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.
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Take another journey through the agricultural fields in Barcelona accompanied with sounds from four-foot ladder snakes, praying mantis and much more.

Along the way, Seán reflects on the stark contrast between Barcelona's urban sprawl and the wildlife that clings on beside it, the challenges of ADHD and admin, why even mosquitoes and feral pigeons deserve their place, and the thrill of intercepting birds on their journey to Africa.

This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.
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Seán returns with a late October walkabout at Knockadoon, East Cork, in search of rare autumn migrants. Take an audible adventure through this peninsula and discover why it's a magnet for visiting birds, encounters redshanks, pipits, greenfinches, and fox moth caterpillars along the shore, and shares remarkable news of recording two red-throated pipits a species that turns up in Ireland roughly once every two years, just 12 days apart at the same site!

This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.

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In this episode, Seán records through the night at Ballynamona Strand in East Cork, capturing golden plover wing beats overhead, a bat buzzing past his microphone, and the underwater sounds of fish and prawns beneath Ballycotton Pier.Interwoven with field recordings of bar-tailed godwits, curlew, oystercatchers, and a lesser yellowlegs, Seán reflects on autumn migration, the devastating decline of curlew in Ireland, the impact of off-lead dogs on wading birds, and a spooky encounter at a nighttime rewilding site!This is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.
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In this episode, Seán recalls his beginnings and how a Catalan woman walked into a Cork city bar and changed the trajectory of his life forever.Interwoven with more sound recordings, Seán details his move to Catalonia, including encounters with roe deer, flamingos recorded over Barcelona's skyscrapers, screaming neighbours and amateur trumpetersThis is a HeadStuff podcast produced by Hilary Barry and Dan Wilcox. Original artwork is by Matt Mahon.

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