Playing the Dawn Song

[Mark Scott]

I work 12 hours 3-4 days a week from 6am-6pm. I have been told when I see a Martin come in to lower the volume. I have some people say play dawn song all day. When I'm at work I cannot cut the volume down, so should I just play dawn song from 4:30-8:00am everyday (I have a timer on my CD player) and on my days when I can watch, plat it all day and cut back when I see a Martin? I also have the daytime chatter. I think I have a good setup but something is scaring them away and I think it may be playing the cd all day when I'm at work.

[GeneP]

My thought would be to do what you're doing. That is, playing the Dawnsong until 8:00 am and anytime you're home to keep an eye on things. They do seem to get a little wierded out when it's blaring and they are visiting.

You can play with it when you're home. Turning it down when they are around and turning it back up when they fly off, which they will do. When trying to start a new colony you do not want to spook them.

Hope you get your start this year.

[John Miller]

There's a guy in St. Louis who closely monitors owls in Forest Park and in a radio interview last week he advised caution when people are calling to owls in their backyards. He made an analogy that made me thing about the dawn song. He advised in effect that if you were in your bedroom engaged in amorous talk to your mate, and suddenly out of nowhere similar sounds came through the bedroom walls, you'd be, as previous post said, weirded out. Overplaying also may attract hawks. Not sure what would attract to one's bedroom.

John M

[klcretired]

Hello Everyone
Mark , I have tried it both ways
1. Playing the Dawn song
2. Not Playing the Dawn Song
either way the Predators are coming , That is why it is good to have up a lot of decoys so when you do get an attack the martins have a chance to Bolt to Freedom , I have been doing this for over 35 years and I say just be prepared , we are going to loose some martins no matter what we do as Land Lords to Protect Our Colonies, it's Natures way. so IMO I don't think that there is a Right Or Wrong way to Play or not to Play the Dawnsong.

I used to have a Powerhorn Outdoor Speaker Mounted on My Gourd Rack

URL=http://s248.photobucket.com/user/klcret ... 6.jpg.html][/URL]

Decoys atop My Gourd Rack Save Martin Lives , They not only attract Martins but also help save Martins, These Decoys were attacked by Hawks, My Martins bolted to Safety

[Leandortree]

Mark,
Playing a favorite piece of music on a good stereo is a wonderful thing, we like to turn up the volume and enjoy the music. Take the same music played on a cheap sound system cranked up ,and we want to run away. The martins at my colony sing the dawn song at dawn just before first light around 4:am to around 6:am, the dawn changes( advances) as the days get longer. Robbins are the first to sing, sometimes one hour or so before dawn at my place ,the Robbins song can easily drown out the Martins song at my colony most of the time but sometimes not. Mostly Male Martin's will sing the dawn song high in the sky above the colony and sometimes just sitting on the housing, it's an awesome sound. The dawn is truly an awesome time for those of us that enjoy bird vocalizations.
You have really good housing, you don't say if it is in a open location or not, or if you keep other species of birds out or not, but you say you have a good setup; it sounds like it's good to go to me! I think you should try something different this year, you may get a better result. You are way out of harmony with nature playing the Dawn Song all day, and on a power horn, I can't see the birds being comfortable with that . Birds have sensitive hearing. Try playing it at the volume a Martin would sing it at, and in the time frame they sing it. The Martins at my place do the daytime chatter just as the early morning sun is on the housing around 7:am or so to around noon, then around 1:pm they all go hunting until evening. Try the day time chatter from 7: am to 12:noon or so and again at a natural volume the colony do it at. You want the Purple Martins to like your place and feel comfortable and safe, blasting them with a power horn might just drive them off. With the setup you have you don't really need a sound system at all. The birds will easily see your new T14 and super system and move right in.
Good luck with attacking many PM this season