To Play Or Not To Play? (Dawnsong)

gwarnerjr · Sun Apr 23, 2006 6:38 am

Last year I had my first pair, SY's. Last week I hadn't seen them back so I ordered the Dawnsong CD and got my boom box and timer set up to try and draw some of the scouts I have seen around for the last three weeks.Wouldn't you know it, my CD arrived yesterday along with two pair of ASY pms which hung around all day yesterday and were still here this morning! My question is, should I play the Dawnsong or not worry about it? The book that comes with the CD says to play it when the subbies start arrivng (which should be any time now) thru June. Thanks for your help.

Al Denton · Sun Apr 23, 2006 6:57 am

As long as my ASY male is here there is no need to play songsong. He's doing the singing now. I think the dawnsong could be confusing to visiting birds. I haven't played it in a week.

Bob Flam · Sun Apr 23, 2006 8:27 am

Al is right, there really is no need once you have one there. They will do a way better job of attracting others than the dawnsong anyway.

There is a couple possible down sides to playing it with martins there already.

1. It could draw the attention of hawks and/or owls. Of course the martins singing might also. But they won't be singing at 4-6 in the morning either, atleast till they are actually singing dawn song. And then they do it way up high so it really doesn't point out the exact location of the colony like a speaker on or under the housing. Martins also will shut up/leave to attack any hawks they see....the cd won't. If you don't have any martins...well then...who cares if you attract a hawk or owls attention.

2. It could distract a girl from the male when he brings her over to look at the place. It could distract the male. I saw that when I 1st started trying to start my 1st colony. The girl would leave, but the male stayed to find the singing martin instead of going after her.

I just moved and was playing chatter because I didn't have a Dawnsong cd. I would have played it instead, but I gave it away. I quit a week ago as soon as I had a male staying. Not totally, sometimes I would go out and turn it on just to keep him thinking theres others around. But I didn't play it un-attended. And I haven't played it at all since the girl showed up. They brought another asy pair and an asy male over by theirselves yesterday.

3. If your using a very loud powerhorn, it could scare them. I saw this before when they flew right in front of it. You could tell it freaked them out.

4. Dawnsong is sang one time of the year..one time of the day...and only one time. After they have laid eggs...predawn. So it could also be confusing to martins playing it at the wrong time of day or year.

5. It's not real..it's a recording.

Don't get us wrong...it works great at getting them to come look. So does chatter. But it's upto the martins if they are going to stay. And nothing works better than the real thing. It's why I used mirrors starting my last 2 colonys. My 1st pair at the 1st site nested right beside it. And this 1st pair and a newby male at the second site spend alot of time sitting by it. In fact I just got home and one was sitting by it...and looking out the window as I type...he is again. But I'm going to take it off later today.

I had to wait 3 years to get my 1st pair the 1st time. 2 years of doing it my way...then used the advise of people here and did it the right way and got some. This 2nd colony start up wasn't near as hard...took a couple weeks. I knew what to do...where to place housing...etc. Plus I'd been fledging martins here for 8 years now not far away

There simply is more around here now also.

Yeah if you've been trying awhile and had visitors or one staying. But still can't get any to nest...chances are you need to look at something else. Like house location placement .

Wish you luck...

bob

Ryan · Sun Apr 23, 2006 1:45 pm

Bob, can you go into some detail on your mirror set up?

Thanks.

klcretired · Sun Apr 23, 2006 2:02 pm

Like Al said, once you get a couple of PM's , they will bring in more martins for you.

Bob Flam · Sun Apr 23, 2006 8:53 pm

I'll start a new post Ryan..

bob

rickluc · Mon Apr 24, 2006 5:43 am

Al and klcretired

I'm wondering about your comments on not playing the dawnsong after a person gets a couple of Martins. I've started two colonies, both times I only had one pair of Martins the first year. I did what was recommended on the forum and quit playing the dawnsong after I had a Martin stop in. I am thinking that maybe I should have kept playing the dawnsong to draw in more Martins before stopping to play the dawnsong. How about my logic? Thanks

Al Denton · Mon Apr 24, 2006 6:27 am

Well, that is good logic. Maybe I need to keep playing it. I just assumed a bird staying around all the time meant he was doing his own advertising. I just don't know. Last week he had two pair with him at one time on my setup. That's better than dawnsong ever did. The problem is that I don't really know a martin is thinking. Maybe I should continue playing it.

rickluc · Mon Apr 24, 2006 6:57 am

Al

I agree that the real thing is better than a CD. But is a SY as vocal as a ASY? Just a thought.

I would be interested in knowing how many Martins the average new landlord starts out with in their first year and if they stop playing the dawnsong after they draw in one or two Martins. Thanks

Al Denton · Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:51 am

No SY has ever been as vocal here as this ASY. My yard is home to this bird all day. He leaves for about 30 minutes at a time but always returns. He spends a lot of time on my setup vocalizing. Sometimes he returns with a female. Sometimes he attracts birds here from the setup. I don't know if he's dawnsinging here, or if he actually sleeps here. I do know that this bird is different from any martin that's been here. This is a special bird....Maybe someone can answer your question from the second paragraph. Al

Tim Mangan-Kansas · Mon Apr 24, 2006 12:43 pm

Rickluc, I am a newcomer this year. I installed my dawnsong recording on March 28. Within 10 minutes of starting the recording, I had an ASY male. My recorder is set up with a photocell and comes on automatically every morning when the sunlight hits it and runs for two hours. I still have the recorder hooked up, which is now going on four weeks. I currently have eleven martins, of which four are pairs. Not sure about the remaining three.
I am taking the recording down today as I don't feel I need it any longer with eleven birds. I feel certain, I needed the recorder to get the first martin, but can't say if it helped getting the rest.
Tim

Al Denton · Mon Apr 24, 2006 7:55 pm

Dang'it Rick, You got me double guessing myself now...I'm going out now to reset the speakers in the dark

Guest · Mon Apr 24, 2006 8:37 pm

Ricluc - this is my first year to be a landlord. I played the dawnsong until an ASY male decided to stay and he brought in 11 more who in turn have brought in 5 SYs.

Don't know which is best - to keep playing or not. I have an SY male that is very vocal

Good luck this season

lanell