First of all let me thank everyone who has emailed me to share their experiences with Songfinder (Steven, Mike, John, Mymm) or to ask for my input about the product.
Because of the overwhelming response, I am going to do two reports. The first will be this short review on cobirds, and a longer review that Nathan Pipelow has graciously offered to post on his blog at http://earbirding.com/blog. Now the short version: Songbird is a digital bird song hearing device that helps overcome the high frequency hearing loss so common in older Americans. I ordered a Songfinder and got it the day before we left for a 16 day trip to Hawaii on January 30, 2010. Early the next morning (I had to wait for daylight) I ventured into the parking lot of our condo and turned on Songfinder. I was greeted with a symphony of Northern and Red-crested Cardinals, Japanese White-eyes, White-rumped Shamas, House Sparrows, House Finches, Common Mynas, and Doves - spotted and zebra. I was stunned! I decided to turn the unit off, and when I did it was only the doves and Northern Cardinals that remained. I could hear the birds! For the next two weeks I worked hard to get used to my new ears. There were some adjustments to be made to balance and volume, but they were minor. The biggest adjustment was trying to identify all the new sounds I was hearing. My wife, Jeanne, has been saying for years, "Did you hear that?" I would reply, "No, but I wish I did." On this trip I heard common birds like the House Finch as well as Hawaiian endemics like the I'iwi, Apapane, and Amakihi. Wow! While the price ($750 plus S & H) is stiff, it is completely worth it. Digital hearing aids that cost four to five times as much do nothing to help you hear the high frequency sounds. Songfinder reduces the sounds by a factor of 2, 3, or 4 to let you hear them. Obviously, cutting by 2 gives you the reproduction that is closest to the actual call or song, and while it is lower in pitch it retains the pattern and cadence of the original. Please go to the Songfinder website at www.nselec.com and listen to their demo. I can't wait for spring migration. Heck, I can't wait to go out in my yard each day for juncos, Downies, sparrows and finches. I am now a BIRDER not just a bird watcher. Please take the time to read the longer review for more insights. Good birding, everyone! Mel Goff -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds". To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/cobirds?hl=en?hl=en Visit the CFO Website at: www.cfo-link.org
