Spring is here – but can you hear the cuckoo call?

Spring is here, which means birdwatchers – including me – will be listening out for our first cuckoo call.

The distinctive call heralds the beginning of spring when cuckoos return to Europe from wintering in much warmer climes.

One British Bird Lover has already heard a cuckoo at Rivelin Valley, Sheffield on April 5.

Birdwatching is something I came as a hobby a couple of years ago as an avid hill walker roaming the beautiful peaks of Sheffield and Scotland.

But of course, birdwatching is not limited to just that one sense – it’s about listening, too.

Birdsong helps us to spot where the bird is and since I took up bird watching, I have often sat with my eyes closed and simply enjoyed the sounds.

It's sad, though, to be with bird watchers whose experience of their beloved hobby has been diminished by their hearing loss or tinnitus drowning out the bird song.

Tinnitus can have a debilitating effect on every aspect of our lives – work, rest and play. We know from our patients’ testimonials how it has impacted on their jobs, their home life and leisure time and even their sleep.

Anything that help improve quality of life for tinnitus sufferers and help them get back to enjoying their hobbies and past times should be welcomed.

So I was excited by the products which Starkey Hearing Technologies have on offer as some of their products may well help birdwatchers get back to doing just that.

All new Starkey instruments will have an advanced processing capability that will serve to significantly enhance a user's ability to hear and also appreciate higher pitched environmental sounds … like bird song.

The Spectral IQ feature, for example, will enable an unparalleled broader listening experience, greatly enhancing the precise sounds of natural soundscapes.

So now is spring is back I really hope these products can help our birdwatchers on the look/listen out for those cuckoos and many of other feathered friends.

Click here to find out more about our Starkey products.