House Finch Chicks Launch

This is an update about the House Finch family living in the Boston Fern on our front porch. We had a thunderstorm yesterday and after it passed over we heard the H. Finch parents calling and calling like they were distressed. They were also flying in and out of the fern. We became concerned thinking maybe one of the chicks fell out. My husband got the step ladder and peeked inside. We were both surprised as 2 chicks flew out instantly! NOW we understood why the adults were calling them. It seemed too soon that the chicks would be at the launch stage. They flew toward the big Maple as the parents flew on each side of them. An awesome sight. We looked back into the nest and there was 1 left...the one pictured above. She was not ready yet. We took the fern down and she flew out after a minute but, away from the rest of her family, and near the ground. That didn't look safe to me because the neighbor has cats. I went over and she allowed me to pick her up...my plan being to fling her up toward her family in the tree, but, she flew out of my hand and was clinging to a black tarp, in the neighbor's yard (the one with the cats) I tried again to capture her, but she flew under the neighbor's pick-up. I waited for awhile then decided it would be better if I backed off and let nature take it's course. The adult finches continued to call for over an hour. So, hopefully she found her way off the ground and into the tree :-)