House Finch Parenting 4

I wish I could say this is a photo of one of the chicks leaving the nest. It was actually taken the evening before they fledged. I cannot see any feet, so I would say the chick is fully airborne, but it is just practice.

The morning they left, they started very early. In fact, one left the nest before I even got up that morning. My wife saw the first one leave. The parents, sitting in the nearby trees called to them, encouraging them. To me, it sounded like the same cheeps used for every other communication. In this photo, you can see the male in the blurred out background.

I trained the camera on the nest, waiting for the next one to leave. My wife told me it left, but I never even saw it through the camera! If you look at some of the former photos, you'll see that the telephoto lens can get in so close the entire nest isn't visible through the camera. I was looking at one side of the nest; the bird went out the other. I knew I only had one more chance.

Meanwhile, the parents left with the first two. They introduced them to the bird feeder in the back. They all returned and were flying around in the trees in the immediate area. I could not believe how adept the babies were at flying. From never having flown an hour earlier, they were flying in tight circles and following the parents in super fast turns around branches and through the trees. There were no mishaps like there are with human babies trying something like walking for the first time. No mishaps and no hesitation.

For the next hour, I learned about the Zen of watching a hanging pot. If the first two simply popped up and flew off, I figured I had better keep my eyes on the ball. The last chick appeared one time over that period, looked around, and disappeared back into the nest.

Once more, the parents returned and encouraged the last one to leave the nest. After an hour of watching the wind blow the planter, I felt like adding my own encouragement.

Finally, the last chick worked up the courage and summarily flew to the near tree where the parents were waiting. Getting a sharp shot of a small bird flying is all but impossible, so I didn't expect to be able to do that - although I did try. You see that blurred background in this image on the right. That is what the next frame looked like. But, this is the moment before when the last chick was ready to go.

Safe in the tree after the first flight. But, for how long? The average clutch is about five eggs and House Finches nest at least twice a season. After having been introduced (illegally) from Mexico several decades ago, their range in the east has expanded over several decades to cover much of the continent east of the Mississippi River. While I haven't read any mortality figures, I would guess a little more than half survive. Don't quote me on this.

One day following their first flight, I saw the parents, but I didn't see the chicks. There was one bird at the feeder today that may have been a baby, but if it was, the pin feathers are already disappearing. It was acting a little bit dumb (getting on the feeder at the same time as a cardinal - which is a no-no in the bird world), which made think it might be a chick.