Hello All, I have returned from a trip to FNQ and in catching up on the birding-aus posts noticed the trip report by Chris Gregory. You saw some great birds Chris. I’m envious of the Golden Bowerbird and the Fernwren, both of which I dipped on. I was really interested in Mangrove Gerygone at Port Douglas that you mentioned. Is the area that you saw them on the track by the railway that starts by the Marina railway station? I walked along this area where the road goes into a marina where you can purchase petrel and there is a football oval over the road. Where the road crosses the railway line there is a track with just a little area of mangroves. I’m wondering if this is where you saw them? Deb and I and bubs loved Port Douglas and may return there next year. If so I’d love to get this bird. Does anyone know if the board walk near Cairns Airport is a good spot for the Mangrove Gerygone and is it possible to see any Lemon-bellied Flycatchers as well. Happy birding, Patrick Scully. ===============================
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Patrick
Thank you for your kind comments. Regarding the Mangrove Gerygone its position on the rail track is correct as you guessed but I’m afraid it wasn’t a MG I saw but most likely a Large-billed Gerygone as the posts from Keith Lindsay and Martin Cachard corrected me (see extracted comments below).
Strange in some ways as MG ranges from Derby around the coast to near Sydney. Except for a gap in its distribution as mentioned below. The gap seems to coincide where the mountainous wet tropic area approaches the coast and I did wonder whether MG had been displaced by other species in this area. Someone on BA will know!
From Keith Lindsay You mentioned Mangrove Gerygone from Port Douglas, they don’t occur here so you probably saw a Large-billed Gerygone. (closest records of Mangrove Gerygone are Cardwell to the south and halfway up Cape York going north).
From Martin Cachard I have the most southern record record of Mangrove Gerygone to the north of here – I discovered a population at Marina Plains in the north of Lakefield NP on Annie River at Princess Charlotte Bay. As Keith has said, the closest populations to the south of us are at Hinchinbrook Channel.
Cheers Chris Gregory
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