Wood pigeon nesting on my first floor terrace - 1

I spent the afternoon exhausting myself by walking all round London's Battersea Park searching for wildlife to photograph - during sunshine and showers.

After a well-deserved rest and a cup of tea when I got home, I decided to pot up some pansies that I had bought in the park.  I did this on my outside terrace, which is basically the roof of the shop extension that is at the back and below my flat.  There is a well on the side of the extension that goes down two floors below to the shop basement.

While I was working outside, I occasionally heard a deep-throated single note warning sound that I thought must come from a pigeon.  I looked down the well at the side of the roof terrace, but could see nothing - I had limited vision because there is a post fence along the edge of the terrace, so I could not lean over to look properly.

Below is a photograph, taken last year, of Agapanthus in two containers that are standing on a very large container, which is placed on the wall.  Below, on the ground, is a further pot containing white lilies.

Agapanthus and lilies on the terrace

I carried on with my planting and tidying up but, when I came to move a container on the floor in the corner of the terrace, a great big fat Wood Pigeon flew up from the back of the large container that is on edge of the terrace wall and gave me the fright of my life!  I could not see it because of the two smaller containers that were standing on the large one.  They now only contain leaves, without the tall flowers that are in the photo.

When I looked through the plants in the container, I saw two strange things that I can only presume are baby Wood Pigeons!  I quickly ran back into the flat and got my camera so I could try and take a photograph before mummy (or daddy) came back.

Baby Wood Pigeons at the back of a very large plant pot

As you can see in the above photograph, the parents have made only a little effort in making a nest, just having added a few sticks to the top of the soil in the container.

I could see the parent Wood Pigeon waiting anxiously on a neighbouring terrace, so I quickly finished off what I was doing and went back into the flat.  After I closed the door, it flew back to my terrace and sat on the fence for a while.  The photo below was taken through the safety glass panel in the back door.

Wood Pigeon waiting anxiously to return to her young

Later, I looked out of the bathroom window above the terrace and could just see that mum/dad was sitting with the babies and keeping them warm.

So I have got my own wildlife!  I won't be able to take any more photographs for fear of frightening the parent Wood Pigeon off for good.