Nature Boy A journey of birdsong and belonging

'Seán's sensitivity to the natural world captivates the reader' Manchán Magan

'Earnest and uplifting' Irish Times

'Informative, inspiring and insightful' Anja Murray

Seán Ronayne always knew he was different. Nicknamed 'nature boy' by the other kids, as a child he regularly escaped to the woods and coastlines around his home in Cork. The natural world was his happy place and where he discovered his true passion - identifying and understanding birds through their sound and song. This passion would see him find his calling as an ornithologist.

From a near-death experience as a teenager, to his adventures in the Sahara Desert and the jungles of Nepal, coming to terms with an autism diagnosis at the age of thirty-two and his mission to sound record all the regularly occurring bird species in Ireland (resulting in acclaimed documentary Birdsong), here in Nature Boy Seán takes us on a journey of discovery and wonder.

'Powerful, impassioned and deeply moving, please read this book, now!' Niall Hatch, BirdWatch Ireland

Seán Ronayne is a Cork-born ornithologist and naturalist who has spent a life immersed in nature. Following a childhood spent exploring the fields and woods of his hometown, Seán went on to study Zoology at University College Cork (UCC), as well as a Master's in Marine Biology, also at UCC. After graduating, he worked at a seabird sanctuary in the UK, and then returned to Ireland to enroll in a Master's in Ecological Impact Assessment, specialising in ornithology.

He secured his first professional ornithologist job in 2017, and in 2018 he moved to Barcelona with his partner Alba, a Catalan native, where he began recording birds and wildlife in earnest. And following their return to Ireland in 2020, he embarked on his project to sound-record all of Ireland's regularly occurring birds, bringing him all over the country in search of rare and elusive species, some of which were on the cusp of extinction. He has now just three species left to record, out of almost 200, and has amassed a collection of over 12,000 recordings of Irish birds and other wildlife.

In spring 2024, Birdsong, a documentary about Seán's recording project, was released to great acclaim. Birdsong is directed by Kathleen Harris and produced by Ross Whitaker and Aideen O'Sullivan for True Films.

Seán lives near Cobh, County Cork, with Alba and their dog Toby. Nature Boy is his first book.

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