Balcony Blackbirds

Blackbirds Nesting - On a Balcony!

NGAG has been given permission to use a series of photos taken by Clemence Biardeau, that illustrate just what can be done to help wildlife, even in small spaces. These delightful photos were taken on a balcony by Newington Green, where a mature wisteria has been the chosen nesting place for blackbirds, for several years running.

The photos show the blackbirds' second brood in 2010 and it is possible that they might go on to produce a third brood. The balcony is a  relatively safe place for the pair to nest, as predators find it hard to get there, so if you don't have a garden but you do have a balcony, you too could encourage wildlife by providing suitable plants for them to nest in (but beware if you have a cat that can get onto the balcony).

These great photos show the various stages of the feeding process. The first photo (above) shows nestlings waiting hungrily and then the male blackbird appears with a beakful of food for them, which he then feeds to one of the nestlings. After the bird has fed, the adult then removes the faecal sac from the nest and some time later, one of the nestlings fledges and explores the outside world, albeit briefly.

Have you ever seen this happening? If not, then maybe you can. NGAG has been aiming to help the wildlife around Newington Green through its WING project and these photos are encouraging evidence that show us how wildlife can be supported and enjoyed by many more of us, even when we only have an urban balcony available to plant on.

If you have seen some interesting local wildlife, post it onto Islington's Wildlife Blog. Perhaps you would also like to do their Wildlife Survey? Visit the site and see what wildlife is around locally at the moment:

http://islingtonblogs.typepad.com/blog/wildlife/

Many thanks to Clemence Biardeau for kindly letting us use her photos.

June 2010