#261 Beck's Petrel
Around the World in 80 Days - Day 53
They are a bird that is rarely ever on land. Essentially the only time they land is if they are breeding or nesting. There were 2 of these birds seen in the late 1920's, but then they were not seen again until 2007. They look a lot like another petrel, but are much smaller than the other one. Nobody knows where the Beck's petrels go to nest. They are also considered nocturnal birds, which means they only go back to their nesting sites at night. That makes it much more difficult to conduct surveys on their population numbers. It is thought they likely have feral cats and invasive rats as their biggest threat like many birds in the area. They have been seen around the Solomon Islands, but that does not mean they nest there as they are migratory birds. Sadly, it is difficult to protect a bird you cannot find. There is hope some will be captured and fitted with tracking devices so maybe they will be able to find where they nest.
I didn't mention the results of my hearing test. I do have some hearing loss and scarring from all the ear infections, which could be helped with hearing aids. It isn't extreme hearing loss, and it is minor enough I can get by without hearing aids for a while yet. The thing that absolutely astounded me though was how when she turned a setting up to the highest level, my tinnitus was completely masked. I think I might be able to sit in a quiet room without getting anxious and frustrated listening to the ringing in my ears. It is loud enough that without the hearing aids I can hear it over almost any noises. For instance, right now, we have the TV on in the next room, but loud enough that I can hear it enough to distract me from my head. Along with it I have a noisy heater going right at my feet. I can hear my head over all that noise, and my son talking to me as well. It is why I have headphones on whenever I go shopping too. I know there are noises galore in the store, but I can't focus on them as much as I can what I'm playing. For the moment I'm listening to Sense and Sensibility. I practically have the book memorized, but that is actually even better for when I'm trying for white noise. I can tune the book out when I'm focusing on trying to find something my mother-in-law asked for or my parents want, and then when I can pay attention again I don't feel as if I've lost anything. Now I have to decide if my hearing loss is enough to justify getting hearing aids, or maybe even doing without tinnitus during the day warrants it. I am going to go to an ENT I think, rather than simply the hearing testing place. I know probably everyone who reads this doesn't actually have any interest in this, but some people have never heard about hearing aids helping with tinnitus. If even one person reads this and decides to go in and then finds their life is better because of hearing aids, that will make me happy. Sort of like how one woman found out from me that seizure medications can cause osteoporosis. She had been on them for years and didn't know. It could be very dangerous because she was a young woman and by the time doctors would suggest getting tested, she could have severe osteoporosis. I am always willing to be an example for people in the hopes of helping them.
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