Dawnsong?

[Luv Ya Purple]

I was walking outside a little before 6am and heard what I'm sure were martins way up in the dark sky singing. If I have no martins at my house why would they be almost right above the house dawn singing?

[klcretired]

Hello Luv Ya Purple
Usually they start the Dawnsong when egg laying begins

[Luv Ya Purple]

There are no nesting martins in my house though.

[Greg]

They are probably from a neighboring colony. I have heard that you can hear martins from quite a distance away.

I run in the mornings before sunrise, and can hear my martins singing on most of my run, even when I'm over a half mile away from my home.

[Luv Ya Purple]

I was thinking the same thing that they must be from a nearby colony, but I don't know of a colony that close. I'll have to look around my area more.

[chickadee]

I want to question starting the dawn song when egg laying is going on? I thought they do it to attract other martins to the site? Hopefully someone else will chime in here. Because now I am confused.

[Don Troha]

Fourth season here & first I've first heard the dawn song. This morning they started singing at 5:15am. Still dark out. Quite loud. I suspect egg-laying is in progress because nests have just been completed. Residents chase off newcomers so I don't think they are trying to attract more martins. (Micro colony here with three resident pair & 5 vacancies. Where are all the SYs!)

[Gobbler T]

I heard mine dawn singing last Friday at 4:30 am, it's Sunday afternoon and no eggs here yet. I couldn't wait to get home and check, but no.

[Louise Chambers]

From http://www.purplemartin.org/main/Terminology.html

Dawnsong: A song that adult (ASY) male martins emit in flight high above their breeding sites during the pre-dawn hours of spring. It's adaptive function is thought to be the attraction of nocturnally migrating subadult (SY) males and females to the colony site. By attracting more colony members, a dawnsinging male theoretically increases his opportunity of engaging in forced extrapair copulation, and therefore leaving more offspring during a single summer's breeding effort.

So - as soon as ASY males' mates are laying eggs, it's time to recruit SY birds, male and female, to join the colony site. This gives the ASY males an opportunity to father more young, with SY males' mates.

[taxidermy lady]

I am wondering now to wait til females lay eggs in town to play my dawn song. I can stop at one site to check. They've been there since April1. I see where the martins are gathering nesting material at that site. So won't be long!

This is good information Louise, Thanks and good luck

[chickadee]

thanks for the info. I new they did it to attract more martins. but did not realize egg laying had to be going in. this is helpful info.

[Don Troha]

Heard one of my martins singing again this morning between 5:30am and 6am. After the singing stopped I stepped outside to check things out and the singing was still going on up in the sky. So it seems one of the males likes to sit in the porch and sing (that one can be heard loud and clear from inside my house). Then he will leave and join the others singing in flight. There was also some singing going on in the distance, maybe other colonies nearby.

Nest check today revealed two eggs in one nest. This makes sense, the dawn singing has been going on for about 3 days. SYs are welcome to fill a few vacancies.

[MamaBruff]

I think the martins you heard were my martins on their way home to Missouri!

[avesrun]

Andrew Troyer I think said it best in lay man's terms at a seminar this spring in iowa. When you hear the dawn song, imagine a martin saying:
Nest here! Nest here! Nest here!

Tim

[BuddyS]

Maybe it would be a good idea for newbies to play Dawnsong all night long to attract nocturnal travelers???

[Chuck4]

Maybe it would be a good idea for newbies to play Dawnsong all night long to attract nocturnal travelers???

Buddy,

Opinions are all over the place regarding when to play the dawn song. My personal recommendation is to adhere to the time that they normally sing it. If there are interested martins in your area, they will come! Take my word for it. I don't think it is a good idea to play all night because you will attract every Owl in the area to your housing before the martins even get there. Don't give the Owls an advantage. While Hawks aren't nocturnal, they too know what martins sound like, and they will be looking around for that colony they heard last night.

[Dennis D]

I am wondering now to wait til females lay eggs in town to play my dawn song. I can stop at one site to check. They've been there since April1. I see where the martins are gathering nesting material at that site. So won't be long!

This is good information Louise, Thanks and good luck

If you have martins at the site you do not need to play the DS

[taxidermy lady]

Hi Dennis, I just have a ASY hanging around. He tried several times to get a female yesterday. I shut everything off. I have no decoys up and no CDs playing. He just came Tuesday at noon. We will see how he does today.

Yeah I have a son going to swic, he lives in apt. By the college. He works on the geek squad at best buy. Very close to you.

[Emil Pampell-Tx]

I have noticed that the martins will not dawnsing at our site if they are being harassed by owls, they fly high in the sky and dawnsing.

However, if there is no harassment, then they often sing right from their gourds. I go out and whistle to them, they seem to listen, then answer...I wonder if they actually hear me and answer....smile

I however think that they are all different, and have different patterns that they follow

[klcretired]

Great Minds Think a like Emil, lol,lol,lol
I was thinking the same thing, Martins are just like People each has his own Personality...Likes & Dislikes