...I like nothing more than dashing off to Portland to photograph birds.
Nick Hopper asked me what I was going to call this blog post as I stood with him and finder
Joe Stockwell snapping a ridiculously co-operative Melodious Warbler at Portland Bill after work this evening. My choice of title honours a promise extracted to give him some credit for the first shot below, as the Melodious sat up and posed in response to a manful bout of pishing. Tribute thus paid, I am scraping together what little credit remains for myself for the other shots. Minus that which goes to Joe for finding it of course. And a share for the nice people at Canon, without whom none of this would have been possible.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5aU3PR4DKwRTMXLw0HzWMG5LVYBNA-KR06RQ2IsheuX0YeNFa6DyM7-oLC8ffUjg4r5TcyGE4EoLPq0L8g7Hd_1ptjq12eqVihTGahtHFJjnrPVvGNKJyMxUnK7ja_O93FAZPz2b39ujj/s400/Blog+Melodious+3.JPG) |
Melodious Warbler, Portland Bill |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnAaoJfNqF2EYM7scV2IRKV71J7d2TEsuZ4mg2_pvSwaIHKPBOwQgSSjxRCXyMagES9JTNDtkJ8Dp0pTO4-Yc_4fh5RLu0cJSPkTYtKdVewb7yFz2PPCiw0Yrk7VWibBNung5b3WPBIJt/s400/Blog+Melodious+2.JPG) |
This shot shows the shorter primary projection which helps distinguish Melodious from the similar Icterine Warbler |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhocng71WlyfK4Cw-dFTchrclzcIANwatafm3Tlvfn6sFTwJqwVtb2JHhwORRxvXEUEVAdzPOnIXDjXsgyczxPkkUmR5MQwu-RlX9ysrRExrYxZxYdQIYlAiTSQvm4gCxne8-zKee8aovOp/s400/Blog+Melodious+4.JPG) |
The upperparts are also browner compared to the more grey-green Icterine |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYlFJoYGcuMzTJi107YYF6fui1_TC5l_D-jnRjBOyV3iO0jCUl2zb4qp5UCvk5WARhUWu689R-YatK_I6UlB3ioRyFFmPMaF2kVsC7L2ENncccijhfYI0g-JkCvjMissjHQfZmaAZtRz37/s400/Blog+Melodious+5.JPG) |
Quite a chunky bird, it moved deliberately at times making it relatively easy to photograph |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjutdLHMquXer3xeJO55CTH9CHLos1x5HKyvmZ9kKxLo1a3J8oflA1Dyp7B8K40WaYZ0ikVREZNC5Bihj8YZ57CaNOruFMRgTfUC8WeeCbGv56BSElGbyU5PexwG-viHFrkCvGtBoNqu9Ju/s400/Blog+Wheatear.JPG) |
Portland wouldn't be Portland without a Wheatear |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh52CHrBYKGliX0JHpZtLG9c_UkwiGzKXOYQh6d25gXzKIPhd3DsX35G-99hR6nJtNf6OJZAkOAKnPYIzpcVwM2vPiiP4AcpzXEj_ijsl-oHXuc3f-fLLx1CJxFghfC_uWm_5nJah-7xKZj/s400/Blog+Melodious+6.JPG) |
The Melodious was faithful to the same small patch of Tree Mallow throughout |
Lovely photos of the Melodious. Better than mine anyway.
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