Mangrove Gerygone

The Brunswick Heads Nature Reserve (BHNR) and Marshalls Creek Sanctuary protect mangroves and tidal flats where migrant and non-migrant shorebirds feed and roost and where Beach Stone-curlew have nested. The Reserves are located behind coastal dunes on the north side of the Brunswick River in NSW.

I have completed a number of Birdata surveys in the BHNR over a 3 month period including recording the birds resting on a rock groin and foraging on the surrounding tidal flats which are surrounded by substantial mangrove forest. But I had not thought to look for Mangrove Gerygone. After many visits I finally spotted a small grey/brown bird in mangroves close to where I was standing to observe water and shore birds on the tidal flats. A close look with my bins revealed to my delight a Mangrove Gerygone. 

While Mangrove Gerygones also occupy habitat such as Melaleuca swamps and coastal woodlands they are probably more common in mangroves.  However the difficulty of accessing mangroves means we don’t think of them or see them much, hence my delight in finding and photographing a pair at the BHNR.

The Mangrove Gerygone’s range closely aligns with coastal mangroves from Derby in WA across the top of Australian and down the east coast to Botany Bay just south of Sydney. 

Please click on photos to enlarge.

 

Subsequent visits to the area failed to turn up the Mangrove Gerygones so I may have been lucky to capture the above photos!