Help with ID (out of area)

[John Harris <>]

I think it is some kind of grassbird or reed warbler. They are all hard to tell apart and the photo may not do justice to the colours but I lived on the Gulf for many years and the Tawny Grassbird was common. If you are lucky it might have been an Oriental Reed Warbler which does come right down into the south of the Gulf.

Anyway, I used to see both of them, and the Australian Reed Warbler as well but your bird’s markings seem too pronounced.

I was not into LBBs much at the time and did not study them all that closely but that is my two pence worth 

From: Duncan McCaskill <>
Date: Saturday, 4 October 2014 9:35 pm
To: chatline <>
Subject: [canberrabirds] Help with ID (out of area)

I am having trouble identifying a bird I saw and photographed a few weeks ago in northern Queensland.

I thought at the time it was some kind of robin, based on general appearance and behaviour, but on looking at the photos I'm not so sure. It was grey on the upper parts and white underneath, a little bit like a Jacky Winter. But in the photo the bill looks a bit too long to be a robin, and maybe slightly down curved - more honeyeater like. There is patterning on the wings.

The bird was on the edge of mangroves at Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria.

Links to photos:

• Photo 1
• Photo 2
  

Duncan.