I received a phone call from my neighbor. I knew it was urgent because she generally will text message me. She said a cardinal hit her gutter and was laying on the pavers alive but dying and asked if I would come over to help. I grabbed my flip flops first, and hubby second and we were out the door in a heart beat!. Upon arrival my neighbors were concerned, upset, and unsure what to do. They said the green cardinal had been down on the ground circling the injured red cardinal distraught and that they had been flying together when he hit the gutter at the side of his head. He was laying upright but with head in the down position with the down slope of the driveway, wings spread out, and exposed to predators and heat. He could not pick up his head. My hubby immediately noticed the heart beating and gently touched his head, he did not move. Being a nurse I knew a head injury in this position was not cool. I began to slowly pick him up and position him in the cup of my hands holding gently so his head was elevated and he was back in the flight position. I noticed he moved his legs and wings a bit (good sign) but he was clearly at least semi-unconscious because he was not making any attempt to escape. That is when I noticed his eye. It was bulging like a marble and solid blood red color. I brought him home and placed him in the shade in the proper position, upright and head elevated above the tail (slight incline with the head at the top). My husband and I discussed what to do next. I knew I needed to call a wildlife expert for advice, my hubby brought a box (he has good instinct) and wildlife expert confirmed we don't want fireants to get him, and stated to do what I had already done with the positioning even to use a small towel if needed to align him properly in the upright position. The wildlife expert thought I should try to bring him to a volunteer for assessment and treatment (sounded like he may need a steroid injection) if I could reach them. I took down some numbers, and left a couple of messages, but, when I reached down to handle the cardinal, he flew a couple of feet right toward the pool! He landed just in time on the pavers and changed direction to a crape myrtle. I heard his wifey calling for him in the distance but he did not answer. For the next 3 hours he sat quiet on that branch in the shade. I stayed outside as the guard to make sure other cardinals did not try to chase him out or predators like the hawk get him. As time went on he began to move his head in all directions and as I took pics I could hope his eye swelling was subsiding but I couldn't see it, only watch his general recover with movement. Before he left the box I already could see the red was gone and it was black again. After about 3 hours he finally flew away but he has been back and he is fine even with nestlings. Our yard is his territory so I see him with his wife all day long. What a happy ending!
