SINGING BIRD PRINT

Limited Editions

Corn Bunting – Play the Soundtrack  Recorded by Seán Ronayne – Irish Wildlife Sounds

Corn Bunting

Emberiza calandra

The song of the Corn Bunting, like many others in its family, is not the most complicated or melodic. The simple buzzing phrase, often likened to the jangling of keys, is repeated tirelessly from a prominent perch and was once the soundtrack of summer in Ireland. Changes in farming practices sadly led to its extinction towards the end of the 1980s.

Perhaps the saddest part of the story in the disappearance of Corn Buntings in Ireland is how little its demise was noticed. Formerly found in every county, a combination of reduced arable farming, earlier harvesting and more efficient collection of grain left little for this chunky seed-eater. Increases in pesticide use further hammered the flagging population which relies on insects to feed their young. Occasional wanderers do still turn up, but with populations suffering across most of its range it is likely that these explorers too will cease to arrive.

With increased awareness of the requirements, and more focus on the protection of other farmland birds it could be possible to plan for the return of Corn Buntings. With a sympathetic approach to farming, a return to a less intensive, less chemically dependant practices, we could once again hear the jingling song echoing around our countryside.

Photo of a perched male

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A chunky beak, perfect for a diet of seeds and grain

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A beady eye stands out in a plain face

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Non-descript plumage, streaked on sandy colour

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A large Bunting, averaging around 18 cm

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Bright orange/pink legs,
often dangling in short flights

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Very plain in flight, no obvious white in wings or tail

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Long-tailed and large size obvious in flight

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Corn_Bunting_singingprint
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Adult

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Juvenile

Adult Corn Buntings are quite cold with sandy-grey coloured, lightly streaked plumage. Juveniles are brighter and more boldly marked, but they moult quickly and soon look just like adults.

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Singing birds pose very upright, head back and chest out.

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Usually sings in open areas from exposed perches.

Prominent song posts are chosen and regularly used as males proclaim ownership of a territory. Competing males pause between phrases to listen to their neighbours response.

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At least 2 males were heard singing near Annagh marsh in 1991.

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Occasional singing birds were recorded along the east coast in 1991 and 1992.

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Occasional reports near Kilmore Quay in Wexford in the early 1990’s.

Corn Buntings were found commonly in almost every county in Ireland historically. From the beginning of the twentieth century their numbers declined rapidly to the point of extinction.

Meet the Team

This project was created with the collaboration of:

Robert Vaughan

An Irish Artist and Wildlife Illustrator specialising in watercolour. He has been watching and enjoying birds and wildlife for his entire life and began to combine his love of art and birds from an early age. After studying Illustration in college, he has been working on books, commercial illustrations, maps as well as private commissions. He is also illustrating and producing a range of prints and greetings cards which are made in Ireland. Together with his partner Sara Sirtoli, they are working on several projects. Robert was born in Dublin, but always loved the rugged north west of Ireland, and moved to Donegal in 2018. Encouraged by the Tolka Branch of Birdwatch Ireland, which he joined when he was 7, he began to combine his love of art and birdwatching, drawing in the field whenever he could. He considers himself very fortunate to have visited many far-flung locations in search of beautiful and rare birds and mammals. But his main passion remains the birds of Ireland, all the species that have and could occur.

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Seán_RONAYNE

Seán Ronayne

Cork-born Ornithologist (BSc Zoology, MSc Marine Biology, MSc Ecological Assessment), who has been passionate about the natural world from the get-go.
After meeting his Catalan partner in Cork, they decided to move to Barcelona in 2018.
Inspired by the wealth of the wild soundscapes there, Seán took up sound recording, travelling all around the country, recording in his spare time. In January 2021, Seán brought his new-found passion back home with him, and decided to start up Irish Wildlife Sounds, to document, share and pay homage to the wild sounds of his home country.

Seán primarily records with a Dodotronic Hi-Sound Stereo Parabola paired with an Olympus LS-12 recorder, but, also uses Audiomoths to passively record in the field. His primary interests are birds but he also likes to record mammals and wild soundscapes.

Visit Seán’s website: www.irishwildlifesounds.com

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Sara Sirtoli

Freelance Art Director & Graphic Designer, working for her own company www.diademadisara.com
She moved to Ireland from Italy. Sara was very lucky to grow up in a family of artists, who passed on to her their passion for Visual Arts, as her father is an international award winning professional photographer. After her Masters Art Degree at the Art Institute of Bergamo, she attended the European Institute of Design IED in Milan, where she achieved a Degree in Graphic Design and Web Design and also a Masters Degree in Art Direction. She has over 16 years of experience as an Artistic Manager, Graphic Designer, Web Designer, Illustrator, Magazine Designer and Photographer. She has worked in a variety of organizations as a manager, ranging from large corporations and as a freelancer for international companies. After living in Dublin, Sara and her partner Robert Vaughan, decided to move to Co. Donegal, where they are working as creative freelancers, sharing their love for art, wildlife and traveling.

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