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Hearing issues and birding (1 Viewer)

This issue was raised with regard to the last UK atlas as the average age of those involved meant that many would have hearing issues potentially resulting in under-recording of birds like the 'crests, Treecreepers, Locustella, etc. Many years ago I occasionally went birding at Stodmarsh with a friend in his mid-seventies and such was his hearing that if he heard a bird reeling I knew it had to be a Savi's rather than a Grasshopper Warbler (which he couldn't hear). I now find myself in a similar position (although only my left ear can pick up Savi's). This spring I was mortified when a couple of Crossbill flew low over my head calling but I couldn't hear a thing.

However, where I find my loss of hearing is really problematic isn't in hearing individual birds but being able to recognise when there's been a decent fall in the autumn. Not hearing the calls of 'crests and struggling to hear Phyloscs etc makes it all to easy not to appreciate that there's been a decent fall and every bush needs to be thoroughly checked out. It also means that when on a birding trip to exotic areas I can't hear the birds to locate them and, unless the tour guide is on the ball, I miss out on being alerted and/or directions to see the bird.

My hearing aids seem to make little difference. I gather that the "SongFinder" ($750 I think) which lowered frequencies to allow birders to hear high frequency sounds is no longer available presumably because it's something of a niche market. This device required shirt-pocket sized device & 'wired' headphones which I guess wasn't ideal either. With advances in technology it ought to be possible to devise something more convenient ....
 
I stopped hearing Goldcrests and the like years ago so last year I had my hearing checked at Boots with the result that I now have a pair of very expensive Phonax hearing aids. Before buying I tested them by listening to 10 recordings of birds that I couldn't hear before the aids. With the aids I could hear 8 out of 10. The 2 I couldn't hear (goldcrest and lt tit) I have since heard in the field. The problem I now have is that the birds I could hear (eg Robin) have gone up in pitch because I can now hear the higher frequency harminics which is very confusing. These aids have a tiny microphone built in which analyses background noise and uses software to adjust the loudspeaker accordingly.
 
Fading eyesight is an increasing problem for me, if birds remain still, I have a terrible job picking them up. Having had corrective surgey almost ten years ago, I wanted it done again but for various reasons they won't do it.

This leaves me with the inevitable choice of glasses or going back to contact lenses. I prefer lenses but when away on trips when hygiene can be an issue, it's easy to get an infection. I had an infection in Thailand one year and it was excruciating and it was fun in Nepal when all my solution and lens cases froze in the room but I still think I favour lenses when the time comes.
 
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Never heard a bat despite them being regular visitors to my garden (serotine and pipistrelle)
I can still hear Skylarks, which was the first bird my late father-in-law said he lost when his hearing went downhill in his 50's... I'm 60 next year so fingers crossed I will keep kearing larks for a few years yet
 
Never heard a bat despite them being regular visitors to my garden (serotine and pipistrelle)
I can still hear Skylarks, which was the first bird my late father-in-law said he lost when his hearing went downhill in his 50's... I'm 60 next year so fingers crossed I will keep hearing larks for a few years yet

The other aspect of this is that even with birds where you can hear a song, elements are missing as they're now at too high a frequency which can entirely distort what they sound like. What used to be a flowing linked series of notes can become a disjointed collection of squawks.
 
All really interesting. I own a pair of very expensive (in my opinion) hearing aids which do nothing to help these bird sounds. At my next check-up visit I will enquire about bird sounds but I’m sure that if they can help with certain frequencies, I’ll probably lose out on others.
 
Aye, should clarify, birders who offer lifts to other carless birders may gain a reduction in the penalty (or even be exempted if the car is filled) :t:
Do car driving hearing aid users get an even bigger penalty because the bird will have been scared off by TMS playing so loudly in the car on arrival?
 
I was born with a slight hearing deficiency. I went for testing several years back and it had been decades since the last test. I have significant loss in the upper registers they told me and this doesn't help with some birdsounds.
I'm in my early 50's and see hearing aids in the future. Right now I'm resisting it as I feel I can hear ok enough.
I can hear soft singing warblers and sparrows when they are real close but if somewhat distant forget it.
Background noise ruins conversations and that's when I really have difficulty.
Hard to hear birds with wind and any other background noises.
 
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I was born with a slight hearing deficiency. I went for testing several years back and it had been decades since the last test. I have significant loss in the upper registers they told me and this doesn't help with some birdsounds.
I'm in my early 50's and see hearing aids in the future. Right now I'm resisting it as I feel I can hear ok enough.
I can hear soft singing warblers and sparrows when they are real close but if somewhat distant forget it.
Background noise ruins conversations and that's when I really have difficulty.
Hard to hear birds with wind and any other background noises.

As long as the hearing loss does not bother you in normal life, you are probably better served using specialized outdoor gear, so called 'hunters ears', to amplify or adjust the bird sound.
These cost vastly less, around $100 vs $2000++ for higher end hearing aids, yet are better adjustable, albeit usually much more bulky.
There had been an earlier thread here on BF discussing one such model which downshifted the higher frequencies to a still perceptible range. I'd assume they work similarly to the bat call receivers, which are really quite wonderful, translating supersonic chitter into audible growls.
 
As long as the hearing loss does not bother you in normal life, you are probably better served using specialized outdoor gear, so called 'hunters ears', to amplify or adjust the bird sound.
These cost vastly less, around $100 vs $2000++ for higher end hearing aids, yet are better adjustable, albeit usually much more bulky.
There had been an earlier thread here on BF discussing one such model which downshifted the higher frequencies to a still perceptible range. I'd assume they work similarly to the bat call receivers, which are really quite wonderful, translating supersonic chitter into audible growls.
Can you elaborate on these "hunters ears", please, etudiant? Do you have a link to the thread where they were discussed?

I've been interested in the SongFinder for a while, but was always put off by the high price, and now they are unavailable. I'd be interested if there was something cheaper available.

Bat detectors are often (always?) filtered to block out/reduce sounds in the human hearing range, as most bats call at higher frequencies.
 
Can you elaborate on these "hunters ears", please, etudiant? Do you have a link to the thread where they were discussed?

I've been interested in the SongFinder for a while, but was always put off by the high price, and now they are unavailable. I'd be interested if there was something cheaper available.

Bat detectors are often (always?) filtered to block out/reduce sounds in the human hearing range, as most bats call at higher frequencies.

Check them out on Amazon, there are multiple brands. A cheap and an expensive option, neither with frequency shifting sadly:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07JQDFF1...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

https://www.amazon.com/Walkers-Game...ers+ear&qid=1602538552&sr=8-4#customerReviews

The key function they offer is to limit the noise of a shot, but these more costly (>$100) models provide amplification, either full spectrum or selected high or low frequencies.
That allows hunters to pick up the snorts of a stag in rut, while high frequencies will help pick up bird calls.
 
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Interesting. Have you tried them? I'm wondering if they'd help much without the frequency shifting.

In the quiet of a nature area, I think they would be quite effective.
Elsewhere no, they would just ramp up the ambient noise.
I've 65dB high frequency hearing loss and find even high end hearing aids only modestly useful in conversation, but excellent out of doors.
 
I had a hearing test a few years ago after developing tinnitus. I first noticed the left-ear tinnitus while trying to listen out for nightjars as it happens.
The hearing test showed I had a 60dB hearing threshold at 8kHz, so goldcrests etc. are audible only if they're loud. I last heard (and saw) a grasshopper warbler a couple of years ago, so hopefully that ability has not deserted me yet. Bats are completely out of the question, in fact I think anyone over 45 who can still hear noctules (20kHz) is doing well. I assume things have got worse for me since then - the tinnitus is certainly no better.
Nightjars I believe 'sing' at a relatively low frequency, around 1 - 2kHz, so people with the common attenuation of higher frequencies should still be able to hear them.
I fear my hearing is compromised to a certain extent over all frequencies - my partner is around the same age as me (62-63), but has much better hearing, which helps considerably while out birding as her ability to identify bird calls has grown. This has demonstrated I also have a strange inability to hear cuckoos unless they're close - I know this was mentioned upthread, but doesn't make sense as they surely have a fairly 'normal' frequency range.
I blame my misspent youth, going to heavy metal concerts, although I think it was the Grandfather of Grunge (Neil Young) who finally tipped me over the edge about a month before the tinnitus kicked in.
Its a bit disheartening that no-one seems to be reporting positive results with hearing aids, I'd assumed they just lowered your hearing threshold across the whole frequency spectrum, and would be something I'd turn to if things got much worse.
 
I blame my misspent youth, going to heavy metal concerts, although I think it was the Grandfather of Grunge (Neil Young) who finally tipped me over the edge about a month before the tinnitus kicked in.
Its a bit disheartening that no-one seems to be reporting positive results with hearing aids, I'd assumed they just lowered your hearing threshold across the whole frequency spectrum, and would be something I'd turn to if things got much worse.

I can only sympathize and note that you probably had more fun loosing your hearing than I did, shooting in a range without ear protection. The US Army Director of Civilian Marksmanship provided the free ammunition, all else was left to the user.
Your basic point about the limited benefit provided by hearing aids is quite correct, unfortunately. Even the most advanced models, which aim to selectively amplify sound from a specific direction to help understanding in social situations, are very marginal in real life.
So remember to be especially nice to your partner, she truly complements you.
 
Its a bit disheartening that no-one seems to be reporting positive results with hearing aids, I'd assumed they just lowered your hearing threshold across the whole frequency spectrum, and would be something I'd turn to if things got much worse.
They can help, but it depends on your type of hearing loss. They don't do frequencies much above 8kHz. Some models can do frequency lowering, but it's aimed at helping speech, and they "transplant" some high frequencies that are helpful with that into the range you can hear.

If you have any difficulty understanding speech, get tested and consider getting aids even if they don't help with birds. Your brain can start losing the ability to process speech if it goes too long without being able to hear it properly.
 
My hearing aids definitely work. I can enjoy conversations with people, that without I really struggle with. However, they don’t help in the field. Although the other day I was with a friend at Barns Ness. He could hear the yellow-browed warbler calling. I couldn’t. Yet I could hear the occasional goldcrest. As I said before, I wonder if my hearing aid can be tuned to aid me. But at what expense, I’ve not heard cuckoos or grasshopper warblers for years either. Bottom line, my hearing is poor. So many good “sighting” are due to a call heard first. Perhaps I should take up trainspotting.
 
As I said before, I wonder if my hearing aid can be tuned to aid me.
Might be worth asking your audiologist if they can set up a program for birdwatching. If you had a recording of a Goldcrest you could play for them, maybe they'd have an idea of what they're trying to achieve.

Might depend on your aids. At least you'll know if it's possible.
 
One thing I forgot to mention about aids is the change in ability to tell what direction sounds are coming from. Seems worse for higher frequencies for me.
 
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