Fernwren. At the top of the longer walking track at Mossman Gorge. Interesting as this was a bogey bird and most guides have it as a bird found above c 600m. This bird I estimate was at no more than 250m. I guess it is not unusual for rain forest highland birds to descend during winter. Almost all FNQ Eremeae reports of Fernwren are from Mt Lewis and none from MG. S&D reports it as a “not a well-known species”
Interesting to see a report of Fernwren at Mossman Gorge, at an unusually low altitude of about 250m. I am not convinced that this species does have a wandering down from the higher elevations like some other high altitude species do e.g. Bridled Honeyeater and Grey- headed Robin, which have a clear movement down to more clement much lower altitude habitats in winter. I suspect some species are not so flexible and remains more or less in situ, thus species like Mountain Thornbill, Atherton Scrubwren, Golden Bowerbird and (I always thought) Fernwren are more or less resident with maybe some occasional and very local dispersal. As Chris Gregory says Fernwren is not a well-known species, even the sexual dimorphism is not acknowledged in the main Australian reference sources, so perhaps there is the odd local wanderer. We have Fernwren here along Black Mountain Road, Kuranda at about 350m, which I always thought was right at the lower limit of the height tolerance, the same going for Chowchilla which has a local population with a distinct dialect, quite distinct to the two dialects at Mt Lewis or on the Atherton Tablelands.
Phil Gregory
Website 2: www.cassowary-house.com.au
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