oops, forgot to hit reply all, sorry.
Peter, I think you're right about becoming more in tune with the sounds around
you - like the children learning to listen for specific speech sounds in the
audioverbal therapy. It's a question of attention - in other words damage to
the hearing mechanism can affect people's ability to hear differently. But
protection is always good to think about. It is amazing how much noise there is
in our environment now. Just a busy street in the city - you'd be surprised at
the sound levels we're subjected to daily in urban areas and even just in our
own homes.
Couldn't put my hands on my digital recorder last night so I used the recording
device on my digital camera to record what I thought was the screaming call of
a Barking Owl. No such luck - I'm informed it was a vixen. Maybe I shouldn't
have recorded it so I'd always be left guessing... I have also used my phone
but with less success.
cheers,
Arwen
.........................................
Arwen Blackwood Ximenes
Lawson, Blue Mountains, NSW
> From:
> To: ; ;
> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:25:02 +1000
> Subject: RE: [Birding-Aus] "a little bit of bread and no cheese"! and hearing
> loss
>
> I agree, and it has increased my desire to get some recording equipment. The
> article about recording using a digital camera is valid, but the resulting
> recordings are usually swamped by ambient noise because the built in
> microphones aren't unidirectional. I've found that unless I'm close, I can
> pick out the faint call on the recording, but others can't.
>
> The comment about protecting hearing didn't sound right to me. She
> specifically mentioned the squealing of bus or train brakes. Unless they're a
> lot noisier over there, I don't see how this would have that much effect on
> passersby.
>
> I don't know if cells can regenerate, but that doesn't sound right either. It
> might be that this is really just a case of someone becoming aware of sounds
> they ignored before. After 4 years of birding, I'm constantly amazed at the
> "new" calls I hear, yet when I investigate, it's the call of a species I must
> have heard regularly that whole time, but ignored.
>
> I do wish I'd be more diligent wearing ear muffs when using an angle grinder
> years ago, it's hard to imagine that didn't have an effect on my hearing,
> although it seems ok compared to other birders my age.
>
> Peter Shute
>
> wrote on :
>
> > what a fantastic resource, thanks Alan. For those interested,
> > as Alan mentioned, it goes through how to read spectrograms
> > and also how to edit bird recordings.
> >
> >
> >
> > It also has an interesting article on age-related hearing
> > loss and bird sounds, which is something which inevitably
> > affects all of us (the cells in the cochlear which pick up
> > the top end of the frequency range die off as we age). The
> > comment by Kathleen Sweadner was interesting - she is
> > protecting her hearing, particularly from high frequency loud
> > noise, and believes that this has not only preserved her
> > hearing but actually improved it, citing plasticity of brain
> > cells. Does anyone know anything about this? I studied
> > auditory verbal therapy as part of a course once - the idea
> > is that children with severe hearing loss who are given
> > cochlear implants or powerful hearing aids can be taught to
> > hear (and speak) by increasing their listening skills. I
> > think birders do this to an extent anyway - we often hear a
> > bird when a non-birder doesn't. It's all about attention to
> > sounds. But can the cells in the cochlear actually
> > regenerate? They are not brain cells, but perhaps the links
> > to the existing functioning cells are strengthened? Anyone
> > have any ideas or even knowledge about this? It's a good idea
> > to protect your hearing anyway - it's so useful! Ear plugs
> > attenuate approximately 20 dB I think across the whole
> > frequency range (don't quote me on that though).
> >
> >
> >
> > cheers,
> >
> > Arwen
> >
> >
> >
> > .........................................
> > Arwen Blackwood Ximenes
> > Lawson, Blue Mountains, NSW
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >> From:
> >> Date: Tue, 17 Aug 2010 17:15:55 +1000
> >> To:
> >> Subject: [Birding-Aus] "a little bit of bread and no cheese"!
> >>
> >> Most of us know and love http://www.xeno-canto.org for bird
> > sounds but I thought many may not know of this gem:
> >>
> >> http://earbirding.com/blog/
> >>
> >> Some terrific sections on how to read and interpret sounds,
> > a glossary of terms and an interesting past post or two such
> > as: The Microphone You Already Own By Nathan Pieplow. Other
> > sections provide links for other bird sound sites, etc.
> >>
> >> Well worth bookmarking and a considerable advance on such
> > lines as "a little bit of bread and no cheese"!
> >>
> >> Enjoy,
> >>
> >> Alan
> >>
> >>
> >>
> > **************************************************************
> > *****************
> >> Alan McBride, MBO.
> >>
> >> Photojournalist | Writer | Traveller | +
> >> Member: Australian Photographic Society
> >> International Travel Writers & Photographers Alliance
> >> National Association of Independent Writers & Editors
> >> American Writers & Artists Inc.
> >> Travelwriters . com
> >> Travcom New Zealand
> >> Regional Representative Australia: Neotropical Bird Club
> >>
> >> http://web.me.com/amcbride1
> >> http://www.worldreviewer.com/member/alanmcbride/
> >> http://www.linkedin.com/in/alanmcbride
> >> http://www.twitter.com/alanmcbride
> >>
> >> Good planets are hard to find; until we do, please, be green and
> >> read from the screen
> >>
> >> Tel: + 61 419 414 860
> >> Fax: + 61 2 9973 2306
> >> Skype: mcbird101
> >>
> >> P O Box 190 | Newport Beach | NSW 2106 | Australia
> >>
> >> This e-mail and any files transmitted with it, are
> > confidential and intended solely for the use of the
> > individual or entity to which they are addressed. If you have
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> > reproduced, adapted or transmitted without the prior written
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> >>
> >>
> > **************************************************************
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> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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