I haven’t been following this string all along so if any of this has been covered I apologise.
In regard to whether people with better hearing and eyesight are better birders, and I am sure it would certainly help, two of the best birders I have known, especially with bird calls both had serious hearing problems, One, who has to the bird worlds everlasting loss unfortunately passed away, particularly later in life could only hear bird calls with a hearing aid. His ability to pick a bird by the most minute bit of a call to me was uncanny. The other, a man in his 50s, not only has hearing problems but also his sight is not good and needs to wear quite heavy glasses. He is also an exceptional birder and great with calls.
I think the ability to retain and recall the call is the most important part of the equation. I have good hearing but my poor excuse for a memory just doesn’t retain the call in my head unless I am hearing it on a daily basis. So that ability to hear a call and compare it to something heard before and then bring up that earlier call’s label is the secret. To me anyway.
Another thing that I have always wondered is if people with musical backgrounds or a close affinity with music were better at recognising calls than others?
Kind Regards
Bob
