Whenever asked which sense I would choose to keep, when the choice is between hearing and seeing, I say I'd like to keep my hearing. Even though I am a photographer, I say this. If I weren't such a visual person, and couldn't see vivid pictures in my head, I might choose otherwise.
But to not hear my children's voices or music, or nature sounds, would be very hard on me. I think I would go crazy in a silent world.
So here in my forties, when I am noticing decline in both senses, I make lots of pictures, and record lots of sounds. Perhaps this stockpile will be even more meaningful to me later than now, if I should loose either sense in the future.
We visited our local riparian area yesterday, where the San Pedro River winds northwards through the desert from Mexico to the Santa Cruz River in Arizona.
Cottonwood trees are plentiful, as well as many species of migrating and local birds,
beaver, bobcat, coyote, snakes (venomous and otherwise) and other reptiles and bugs. Here are a few sound recordings. Please enjoy, and close your eyes if you like. Do you know any of these birds by ear?
I placed our audio recorder at the base of a hummingbird feeder, next to a gentle giant cottonwood tree, whom we have named "Steve".
Here is another recording a few feet away, right under Steve's enormous network of branches...
We will be attending a birding and nature festival next week, and I hope we will know more of the birds in these audio recordings after a "birding by ear" class.
How about you? Which sense would you be more inclined to preserve, your hearing or your sight, if given the choice?
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